


I've said too much (I haven't said enough)

by Skyson



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Coulace, Coulsye, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Mentions of PTSD/Depression, Multi, Polyamory, Romance, Skoulace, The Framework, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2018-10-12 05:18:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10482948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyson/pseuds/Skyson
Summary: Brotherhood is the very price and condition of man's survival. - Carlos P. RomuloThe glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you. - Ralph Waldo EmersonPiglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh," he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." - A.A. MilneI love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close. - Pablo Neruda





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic about a poly-relationship. If that isn't your jam, then I kindly suggest you skip this one.
> 
> This is for inspieos, pippypaleopath, flwrpwr_vampyre, and anyone else who have helped me write this and/or wanted some more scenes featuring J/D/C. There were more of you out there who liked this idea than I had expected, so I'm dedicating this to all of you.
> 
> This one got away from me, as my fics are apt to do. It was certainly a challenge to write, but I am pleased with how this ended up, and I hope you are too.

* * *

One could say that it began the day they discovered that Jeff couldn't hold his liquor.

"Hey, how many margaritas are too many margaritas?" Daisy wondered, looking thoughtfully into her half-empty glass. She couldn't remember if it was her second or third. (They were big glasses, and besides, Coulson hadn't exactly mixed them with a light touch.)

"Hm, if you can't remember where the living room is." Coulson answered her, with the waxing intellectual tone that one can only really master after one drank too much.

"Ha ha, still good!" Jeff crowed, pouring himself another glass of the mixed drink. Luckily, he set the glass down on the coffee table before he sat down, because he ended up falling into the cushions of the couch less than gracefully. He snickered, and Daisy snorted.

Coulson smiled widely at the noise she'd emitted, distracted for a moment and not noticing Jeff struggling to sit up.

"Maybe," Jeff swallowed slowly, "Maybe, not so still good." He giggled quietly at himself and decided to collapse back into his previously sprawled position. His eyes drifted closed, and Coulson put his glass down so he could reach toward Jeff and grab his shoulders.

"No, don't sleep here! I called dibs on the couch." He whined a little, shaking Jeff awake, and Jeff glared up at him, but acquiesced. "Here, Daisy, help me get him to the bedroom,"

She did, or at least, she tried too. Jeff was taller than both of them, and his limbs had become much floppier than usual. Holding him up between them, she and Coulson slowly made their way down the hall. She had a feeling that Jeff was dragging his feet on purpose, but they were too busy bumping into the walls and giggling at each other to be annoyed about it.

When they eventually did make it to the bedroom, they all fell into it in a heap, laughing much more freely at themselves.

It had been a long time since any of them had felt happy enough - and gotten drunk enough - to laugh this openly, and this much.

"You guys are the best," Jeff sighed happily, his arms still outstretched beneath each of their heads. Daisy turned on her side to look at him, watching his eyes drift closed, and she grinned over his chest toward Coulson, who grinned back at her.

She couldn't remember if they said anything else; she just remembered smiling at Coulson, using Jeff's arm as a pillow, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest as he slept.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

Daisy blinked her eyes open, first wondering why it was she was sleeping diagonally across the bed, and not up near any of the pillows.

Then she wondered who's arm was tossed casually atop her belly.

She turned her frown in the direction of the owner of the arm, and blinked stoically for a good minute. Jeff was still asleep, a serene look on his face, his body facing hers and curled against her side without being smothering. Each breath inward sounded a bit like a purr, more than the throaty snore she would have expected.

Could have expected, she meant. It wasn't like she spent her time wondering if Jeff snored or not. No way.

Anyway, this was cute. Really cute, even, and she couldn't help but smile a little. She reached out to touch the scruff that had gathered on his jaw at some point in the night.

He didn't move, but Coulson's head popped up on the other side of his shoulder, his expression making Daisy stifle a snort of laughter.

His hair was tousled, his jaw scruffy as well, and his eyes darted around in confusion until they landed on hers.

"Oh." He said quietly, and her eyebrow quirked up a little. She'd noticed how Coulson had spooned up behind Jeff in his sleep, and she was debating on whether to tease him about it or not. She, after all, had fallen asleep here as well.

Maybe it would be better if they just didn't talk about it at all.

Carefully, his bottom lip between his teeth as he concentrated, Coulson rolled onto his back and sat up, hanging his legs over the edge of the bed, his back to them now. Jeff felt the movement anyway, and his brow furrowed before he grumbled something, his arm tightening around Daisy's body as he rolled onto his back and into the warmth that Coulson had just vacated.

Daisy couldn't help but laugh a little as she ended up half on top of Jeff, and Jeff's eyes blinked open suddenly.

"Fuck," He realized, seeing the amused glint in her eye, and releasing her from his grasp. "Sorry," He muttered, and she gingerly pushed herself away from him, sitting up and using her fingers to brush her hair away from her face.

"It's okay," She assured him, and he threw his arm over his eyes as he groaned quietly.

He glanced beneath the shield of his arm, in Coulson's direction, and saw that the man was sitting there watching him. He covered his eyes again, groaning a little louder this time. He was clearly very deeply embarrassed, and he sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry," He started, a little more louder now, speaking directly to both of them.

"I'm not." Coulson interrupted, and Jeff lowered his arm, giving Coulson a dubious look. "I'm not." Coulson insisted, with a shrug. "I enjoyed spending time with you guys last night, and, anyway," He glanced momentarily toward Daisy before looking back down at Jeff, "sleeping next to you wasn't half bad either."

They all sat there, even Coulson mildly surprised at his own admission.

"Are you still drunk?" Daisy wondered, and he smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Maybe a little." He shrugged, again. "Doesn't make it any less true, though."

"It was kind of nice..." Daisy admitted, and the guys looked at her, and she focused on the bedspread for a moment. "Really nice." She added more confidently, though she was also embarrassed enough that she didn't look them directly in the eyes as she said so.

She wasn't sure why she felt like she suddenly couldn't look them in the eye. All they'd done was fall asleep, and even if there had been a bit of cuddling going on, it wasn't like they'd all been pressed together in a heap of limbs.

She felt her face redden at the image that popped into her mind, and she got to her feet.

"I call dibs on the bathroom," She announced quickly, hurrying out of the room and in that direction.

Coulson made a sympathetic noise, probably assuming that she was going to throw up all the alcohol she had drunk last night (really, it wasn't _that_  much).

"I'll go whip us up something that'll help with these hangovers," She heard Coulson announce.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

They didn't talk about that night at the Retreat. Even as they spent the rest of the week in that particular hideout, they all just simply acted as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Though, they didn't make margaritas again.

That night, relatively innocent as it was, changed their relationship nonetheless. Over the course of their time spent in hiding, moving from place to place every few days, they bonded. They would have, anyway, of that Daisy was sure - occasionally sharing one hotel room between the three of them would do that. It was different than mere appreciation, though. It was deeper than just a friendship; it was intimate, in a way, though Daisy wasn't sure about using that word because it wasn't sexual or romantic in nature. But yet 'intimate' was the only word she could think of.

They spent three months in one another's company, hiding from the government. Hiding from Hydra.

Daisy and Coulson had already been quite familiar with one another's habits, but soon enough they learned of Jeff's as well. They adapted, forming a unit together that with only one glance could signify that danger was nearby, that they needed to leave and leave  _now_.

There were a couple of close calls; Daisy arrested and eventually broken free from the back of the squad car with the help of Jeff's distracting charm and Coulson's lock-picking skills. Jeff, getting shot in the leg - again. Coulson getting the shit beat out of him by someone who used to be a friend of his, in another life, in another world.

The concern for one another, the terror when one of them was gone for too long, it only served to strengthen their bond. They quickly learned that Jeff outwardly emoted the most, that Coulson repressed his feelings the most, that Daisy got frustrated with them the most. They always forgave one another, though, because one another was all they had.

They'd managed, during all that time and all those close quarters, to never see one another entirely naked. There were always various states of undress, though, between the injuries and the simple mechanics of living.

So, intimate was the only word Daisy knew for it. That was alright, though. She didn't mind it.

Three months had passed, and one night as they're all sitting cross-legged on the hotel bed, digging into their Chinese takeout boxes with a voraciousness that did not match the taste of the food, their door burst open.

Each of them jerked their heads toward it, freezing, each thinking that this was it, they had finally been caught. After everything, this would be how they died. Chinese takeout in their hands.

" _Jemma_ ," Daisy breathed, rushing forward as her friend shut the door quickly behind her, meeting her between the bed and the door with a crushing hug.

"I thought you were dead." Jeff said dumbly, mouth full of food. He swallowed it quickly, and put his takeout to the side as well as he clambered off the bed, seeking a hug from Jemma as well.

She seemed surprised by his gesture, but she returned the hug firmly, her eyes shining as Coulson also stepped forward for an embrace.

"I found the back door," Jemma told Daisy without preamble, as soon as Coulson had pulled away. "I know where it is."

"How did you find _us_?" Coulson wondered, at the same time Jeff asked,

"What back door?"

Daisy grinned more widely than any of them had seen in a long time.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

They didn't wait for daybreak. Each gathering their things and clearing any evidence of their existence from the room, they were ready to go with a speed and efficiency that made Jemma speechless.

"How long have you been hiding out?" She asked, once they were piled in the car, driving down darkened streets. She kept looking at each of them, noticing how easily they interacted with one another, how they moved together almost as one, like some sort of human amoeba. They had all seen her curiosity at the one room, the one bed, but she never asked, and they never provided an excuse.

She understood being on the run. You made do with what you had.

"It's been just over three months, now." Jeff answered, glancing at the date on his watch and doing the math. They had used to keep count, but they stopped once it became all about staying alive, staying free.

"Jesus," Jemma muttered under her breath. "I'm so sorry it took me so long - it was a bitch trying to find you,"

"That was the point," Coulson pointed out from the backseat, where he sat next to Daisy.

It was nearing one in the morning, but none of them would sleep. Even in the middle of nowhere, they were on alert, poised to run or defend or whatever became required of them.

They reminded Jemma of wild animals caught in a cage, a pack desperate to protect one another but waiting for the inevitable death to come, and her heart ached for them.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

Daisy gasped, all of her limbs jerking wildly for a moment before she grabbed at the helmet and yanked it off of her head, shaking fingers jerking wires and tubes from her hands and arms and chest.

"It's okay, it's okay," Jemma soothed, standing in front of her line of sight but not too near. Daisy anxiously looked around the room, trying to orientate herself. "Daisy, it's okay, you're out." Jemma promised, waiting until Daisy met her eyes to repeat, "You're out."

"Where are they," Daisy's voice was hoarse, dry from disuse. How much time has passed in the real world?

Jemma gestured her head toward the open doorway, her tone still calm and placating, trying to help Daisy to relax.

"We've already started loading everyone into the Z1. You're the last,"

Daisy stumbled out the door before Jemma finished speaking, her body protesting at the burst of adrenalin that was coursing through her body.

"Daisy!" Maria Hill herself stood between Daisy and the lowered hatch of the plane, her palms out in a 'hold on' gesture.

Daisy immediately stopped a few feet from her, eyes sharpening on the gun in Maria's hands, even though it wasn't pointed directly at her.

"You need to settle down!" Maria ordered over the idling engines of Z1. "I can't let you on that plane unless you relax, or I'll have to Ice you!"

Oh.

 _Oh_.

She hadn't had her powers while in the... in that other world. At first it had been disorienting, terrifying, angering. Then she had gotten used to it.

But that vibrating course of energy bubbling inside of her wasn't only happening inside of her. Focusing a little more openly, now, she realized that the ground was rumbling beneath her feet.

She closed her eyes, nodding in understanding toward Maria as she tried to do what was asked of her. She breathed in deeply through her nose, shakily, pursing it out through her lips.

"Daisy!" Coulson called out, and she opened her eyes. There he stood, and right next to him was Jeff, and Mack, and May, and Fitz. They all looked exhausted, a little worse for wear, but they were there.

The ground calmed beneath her, and her body with it. Partially in relief, partially because of the adrenalin that suddenly dissipated, she dropped to her knee, her hands splayed onto the asphalt as she just barely managed to keep herself halfway upright.

Jemma was there, then, and Maria holstered her weapon as she came to assist, the two of them helping Daisy to Z1.

"It's okay," Jemma murmured, "the others had some trouble too. These bodies haven't been used in quite a while, just take it easy."

The others, having already greeted one another previously, focused on Daisy with their looks of relief. She smiled tiredly back, sagging a little more against Jemma as she stopped trying to push herself too hard. Coulson and Jeff both reached out to touch her, as if to make sure she was real, wearing equal looks of satisfaction after the confirmation.

Maria and Jemma made sure they were all buckled into jump seats before they went topside, wanting to take off as soon as possible.

The rest of them sat there in the belly of the plane, all looking intently at one another, none of them saying a word.

What was there to say?  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

May and Mack immediately dismantled Aida and threw her in the incinerator, as soon as they made it to base.

Maria Hill escorted Radcliffe down to the vault cell, which could have been amusing considering that it was a bit of overkill for non-powered humans, but no one questioned the decision.

Jemma ushered the others to the med bay first, performing diagnostic checks on all of them as well as herself. May and Mack reappeared soon enough for her to look over them, as well. Aida had taken care of their bodies while their minds were in the Framework, so Jemma simply prescribed them all rest, urging them to take it easy for a few days.

Few words were spoken this entire time; only what was strictly necessary. They all looked at one another silently, each of them clearly relieved that they were all okay.

Once Jemma released them they went their separate ways, most toward their rooms. Elena was standing in the hall, waiting to greet Mack, her relief upon seeing him more than obvious. He tucked his head into her neck and wrapped his arms around her, but he still said nothing even as she mumbled to him in Spanish. She led him by the hand to their room.

Jemma and Fitz walked together into their room, but they didn't touch; Fitz was still half catatonic like the rest, and Jemma more than likely was trying not to recall what she'd had to do to his robot copy.

Coulson disappeared into his room, lifting his eyes to spare a glance at Daisy before the door closed between them.

May actually seemed more like her normal self than anyone else, but still, her exhaustion was more than evident. Daisy felt her curious gaze, but she said nothing as she slipped into her room as well.

Jeff was ahead of Daisy, his quarters separate from theirs, nearer his office. She stopped in front of her door, watching him continue on, and just as he reached the end of the hall, he turned to face her.

The look in his eyes frightened her, but then he turned the corner and was gone.

She lay in her bed but she didn't sleep, terrified that if she closed her eyes she would find herself back in the Framework.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Jeff continued his traipse down the hall that did not lead to his quarters. He didn't change his pace, he didn't look at anyone, he didn't respond to anyone.

Not bothering to see if anyone was watching him, he slipped through the heavy door, calmly walked down the stairs, pressed his fingers against the keypad to remove the protective wall.

And then he put his fists into Holden Radcliffe's skull until his knuckles ached and the back of his shoulder jerked with the stabbing cold of an Icer bullet.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

"Jesus." Talbot muttered, pressing his fingers against his eyes. He sighed, and asked, "Did he have the serum?"

"No," Maria replied, "just rage, I think."

"Rage?" Talbot repeated, dropping his hand to his side, and then pointing at the recorded video they just finished watching. "Look at the way he approaches. That isn't rage."

"I," Maria hesitated, knowing that Talbot wouldn't like hearing this - but, well, he would have to get over it. "I suggest not reinstating him until he's had a full psych eval."

"Do you think it changed him?" Talbot asked carefully, his tone almost reverent, and not in an impressed way. The Framework was an unknown quantity; even more so now that the two who could have explained it were dead. One of them a planned destruction, the other... not.

"Not irrevocably," Maria shook her head. "But we don't know what they went through in there. He's exhibiting certain symptoms of PTSD."

"Well, I'm formally requesting the President to instate you as interim Director, Hill." Talbot told her, and she pressed her lips together firmly, but nodded.

"All right, sir."  
  


**< ><><><>**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some songs, if that sort of things interests you, that I listened to while writing this chapter: Heal - Tom Odell, Beautiful Crime - Tamer, Gods & Monsters - Lana Del Rey, Strange Love - Halsey
> 
> Also, this chapter is M. Maybe E? Definitely M.

* * *

Daisy missed Dr. Garner more than ever. She thought of him often during these meetings, and tried to be on her best behavior. Tried to listen dutifully as the psychologist worked with her.

She knew that she was a little messed up, anyway. The Framework had screwed with her mind, even though she'd known all along that it had been fake. Or, _other_.

Persuading Jeff of what kind of world they were really in had been easy once she'd found him - he had been leading a resistance group against Hydra's rule. He was open to suggestion.

Together, they'd found Coulson, but he had been a challenge. It had broken her heart, at first, hearing him say the words he said, hearing how easy it was for him to spout Hydra's beliefs. Eventually, they had opened his eyes.

But not long after that, Hydra had caught Jeff's little ragtag resistance group. They weren't of the mindset of taking prisoners, and while Daisy had recognized none of them, Jeff was distraught as he saw them murdered. After that it became just as hard for the three of them to keep their hopes up as it did to keep themselves alive.

And then, of course, there was everything that happened while they were on the run. Daisy struggled to put words to her bond with Phil and Jeff without Dr. Shaw trying to explain it off, telling her it was okay, that there was nothing wrong with it - as if it, too, had been a figment of the Framework.

It wasn't, though. It was still there, imprinted inside of her more permanently than a tattoo. Except now they weren't on the run. Their lives weren't in any immediate danger. They were SHIELD agents, and there were levels, and there were rules.

She could swear that she felt their pain like she felt her own. But she couldn't likely tell that to this guy; not unless she wanted to be put under even further observation.

Weeks passed, how many exactly Daisy wasn't sure, but eventually Dr. Shaw cleared her for duty. He offered her an opening for his services should she ever need them again, which she declined - but she did it kindly, at least, thinking of Dr. Garner.

May, which surprised everyone, took back to real life quicker than the rest of them. After being cleared for duty, Daisy finally decided to join her for morning Tai Chi, and it was almost as their routine had never been interrupted.

One morning, May watched her movements with open curiosity, and feeling the weight of her gaze, Daisy opened her eyes.

"There's a darkness about you," May murmured thoughtfully, somehow making those words sound natural coming from her mouth.

"It's not mine," Daisy immediately responded, and May furrowed her brow, not understanding. Daisy finished her move and sighed lightly. "It's Mace, he..."

"He's still struggling." May finished, completely understanding that, at least. Daisy nodded slightly, and May gauged her for a moment. "I remember," May started quietly, "you were hiding from us - from," She grimaced at her slip-up, "Hydra."

This was the first they spoke about it, though they'd been continuing their morning routine for a couple of weeks now. Daisy knew enough that May struggled with the fact she'd been working for Hydra, though.

"There were many times they almost caught you, times that they injured you." May took a breath in, and added, "There were a few times we received word that one of you had died."

"Well, obviously we didn't die," Daisy pointed out, trying to lighten the tone a little bit.

"It was almost fourteen weeks, wasn't it?" May inquired softly, and Daisy clenched her jaw as she tried to repress the emotions pushing against her throat. If May was getting all touchy-feely, Daisy's carefully crafted facade would probably crack.

"Thirteen weeks and three days." Daisy commented, beginning the next Tai Chi movement.

"That's a lot of time to be on the run with someone," May started, and Daisy stopped what she was doing and gave the other woman a sharp look.

"I've already been over this with Dr. Shaw." She said, mildly threatening.

"Daisy." May raised her eyebrow, and Daisy quickly deflated. May probably understood better than anyone. "It's perfectly alright that you're concerned for Mace. You had his back for months - no one expects you to just stop caring."

Daisy nodded slowly, relaxing further at her mentor's words.

"It's just, I mean, you were in there the longest out of any of us. Why are we the ones who can't seem to get over it?" Daisy wasn't necessarily looking for an answer, she was mostly thinking out loud.

"Within the world of the Framework, we were living comfortable lives. We didn't know any better. Even me, once Aida... figured out my problem." May's lip twisted into a snarl for just a second, but she breathed in deeply and let it pass. "You three, however, were not. You endured far more stress and fear and pain than any of us did."

"Still..." Daisy sighed. "It's not like I haven't been on the run before."

"You were only in charge of your own life, then. In the Framework, you were taking care of two other people as well. Just give it time, Daisy. Trust me."

"What about Mace?" Daisy pointed out, mostly under her breath.

"Be there for him, definitely." May told her. "But also trust that Dr. Shaw knows what he's doing. He's dealt with all kinds of different post-traumatic cases before." May shifted her stance, and began her next movement. "Now let's get back to our training for the day."

Relieved with the change in subject, but also thankful for May's support, Daisy gave her a small smiled and followed along.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

Coulson was the one who finally led Daisy down what she thought could be the right path. Though they often spoke with vague half-words, he was the one she discussed the Framework with more than anybody. And they were both justly concerned for Mace, and felt they could only be really truthful with one another.

Coulson was the one who suggested she offer to teach Mace some things; self-defense, full out training, whatever he would agree to.

"He wants to belong, Daisy. That's all he's ever wanted." Coulson told her softly, that sad look in his eye he always got when the subject of Mace was brought up. The whole team was concerned for him, sure, but Coulson? Daisy could tell that it hit Coulson pretty deeply, even if he did do his best at covering it up. "Before all this, he had the serum. Didn't have much skill, but he usually managed simply by brute force. And he had the image he was supposed to portray, as the Inhuman Director of SHIELD. He had a job." Daisy nodded along, but silently let Coulson continue. "And then, in the Framework, he's doing exactly what he's always dreamed of doing - leading a group of people against the hatred of Inhumans."

"How do you know what he dreams of doing?" Daisy teased lightly, and Coulson simply answered,

"He told me."

Not for the first time, Daisy wondered how close they had been before the Framework.

"Not only is he leading them, but he's working with them - he's fighting and he's spying and he's moving Inhumans to safe places where they can live without the threat of Hydra." Coulson sounded proud of this, now.

Back in that world, when they'd first found him teaching at the high school, he had seen Daisy as the enemy, and Jeff as the traitor. He had despised them.

Now, though, Daisy kind of thought that look of pride on his face was cute.

"After experiencing all that, now Jeff's back in the real world. Where he doesn't know the skills to fight, doesn't have the experience to lead a rescue op, and now doesn't even have the serum anymore. You and I, and everyone else, are back to working like we have been - but he's out of the loop now. More than ever before."

"So... we should just bring him back into the loop, then. Get him training. Sure it won't be easy or quick but it would help him feel more like his old self... wouldn't it?" Daisy wondered. Coulson nodded, and she frowned thoughtfully at him. "Why don't you ask him to train with you? You could teach him some of your moves."

Coulson immediately began shaking his head, and didn't quite meet her eyes.

She didn't push it, not then. She just nodded, accepted Coulson's advice about how to approach Mace with this idea, and his warning that Mace may not readily agree to it.

She was surprised enough when Mace answered the door and actually let her into his room.

It wasn't like he'd been avoiding people, not completely... but he had been avoiding her. It was rather miraculous, really, that he'd so successfully stayed out of her sight almost the entire time they've been back. When he peeked out through the crack of his open door and realized who it was, he had sighed and developed this look of resignation before stepping back and opening his door fully.

His scruff was more than scruff, now; salt and pepper giving him more of a 'lumberjack' look than she'd expected. His hair was longer, too, but at least he looked taken care of, not too wild, not unclean. That was a good sign.

She didn't bother to hide her surprise as she stepped into his room. She thought it'd only been a few days since she'd last glimpsed him, but there was no way he'd grown that beard in just a few days. (Or could he? No - no, Daisy, not NEARLY the time to be thinking about him like that.)

"Hey," She greeted softly, slowly closing the door behind her. He didn't seem to mind that, but he also kept a good few feet between them, just standing there silently, waiting for her to say why she was here.

Well, she knew 'how are you' would be a dumbass question, so she tried to think of something else to open up conversation.

"I like it," She gestured toward his face, and then touched her own chin, and then let out a nervous laugh and looked down at her feet. She didn't think that had been a good choice, either, but when she glanced back up at him, his eyes had softened and brightened marginally.

"It's a little more grey than I remember," He lamented, and she wondered if his voice sounded different, or if it had just been that long since she'd heard it.

"It looks good." She assured him, nodding, and then pursed her lips and almost shook her head at herself. "Look, I, uh," She figured maybe it would just be better if she got to the point, but she stopped when he huffed out what almost could be a laugh.

"Thanks." He told her, his eyes glinting a little more. She offered him a small grin.

"I wanted to..." She began again, trailing off as she just looked at him, taking in as much of him at once as she could. "I've missed you." She blurted, quickly pressing her lips closed again afterward. Dammit, this wasn't supposed to be about what _she_ wanted.

He focused on her directly, now, blinking. As if he were trying to make sure she was telling the truth.

"I've missed you, too." He told her slowly, still standing there like he was expecting her to do something.

So she did.

Quickly closing the distance between them, she wrapped her arms around him, fingers clutching the back of his t-shirt as she pressed her cheek hard against his chest.

He only hesitated a moment before slipping his arms around her waist and shoulder, holding her tightly against him. She felt him drop his head to press his nose into her hair, his grip tightening fractionally. Her fingers shook as she tried to hold back her tears, pulling at his shirt a little, and a rather desperate noise came out of his mouth.

She wasn't sure how it happened so quickly, because they didn't even fully look look one another in the eyes before they were pulling at each other's clothes, peeling them away with an urgency just beneath frantic.

A part of her knew this was probably a stupid idea, that this wasn't exactly a healthy way to be dealing with things. But he kept making those noises, as if he was afraid that if he didn't get her clothes off fast enough, she would disappear like a figment of his imagination.

Her fingers danced against unmarred skin, remembering scars that no longer existed, and he pressed his thumbs against her jaw, knowing what she was thinking and pulling her up to distract her with a kiss.

They weren't seeking to hurt one another, but they also weren't soft or gentle. She ran her hands all over his torso and back as he palmed her breasts, his beard scratching her chin as his tongue mapped out the inside of her mouth.

He knelt a little to pick her up behind her thighs, lifting her against him and pushing her back against the empty wall space between his closet and bathroom. He was hesitant as he thrust into her, and she encouragingly pressed her fingers through his hair. Now that it was longer, it was noticeably curly, filling the space between her fingers in a way that fascinated her for a moment.

Their hair hadn't grown in the Framework. He and Coulson hadn't even needed to shave in the mornings. At first it was disconcerting, but as with everything else, they'd quickly gotten used to it. It explained perhaps, though, why Jeff now looked the way he did. He was a daily reminder in the mirror that this was the real world, that he wasn't inside the machine anymore.

He burrowed his face against her neck, his beard rough against her skin in a way that made her clench her inner muscles around him tightly. He groaned and held onto her, turning again toward the bed, lowering her on top of it and following her down. He pushed into her again, no longer as hesitant now that he knew she was ready for him, and she scraped her nails against his skin. Not hard enough to leave marks, but enough to make him groan again.

He wasn't afraid to lay his whole body against hers, catching her fingers and threading his own through them, holding their arms up above them, his skin sliding against hers as they moved together. Needing that closeness just as much as he did, she tucked her ankles around the backs of his knees, tilting her hips just so.

He mouthed her jaw as he moved, his breath heavy against her ear, a hum in the back of his throat as he started getting close to his release. She gripped the back of his head, not pulling at his hair, just holding on, as he ground his hips down, trying to get her to come first.

She didn't; he did, but his grunting 'fuck' in her ear as he did so had her coming soon enough, the two of them gasping against one another as he eventually stopped moving and just lay there on top of her. She didn't mind his weight, and kept her hand in his hair to make sure he didn't move away too soon.

Eventually, though, they both grew uncomfortably too warm, and she let him move to flop onto his back next to her, still having not quite caught his breath yet.

She wondered if she was supposed to now start feeling guilty about what just happened, as the silence stretched between them, but she didn't. She didn't really feel much of anything, other than the same concern for him that she'd entered this room with.

Well, maybe not quite as much concern as she'd had before. Because if that felt as good to him as it had to her, then, well, he couldn't be feeling  _as_  bad as he had been.

She glanced over at him, turning just her head, wondering.

He was staring up at the ceiling, wondrously, as if it were something truly fascinating to him. Her lips quirked upward a little, pleased, and she looked back up to the ceiling as well as she breathed in slowly and let out a satisfied sigh.

"I...um," He started, and she looked over to see him looking at her. He seemed a little apologetic, though not guilty either.

"If you're about to apologize for that, don't." Daisy assured him. "Sometimes you just need... you just need a little release, right?" She tried to say it casually, feeling slightly out of her depth.

Yeah, sure, that had totally been out of pure need for her, too, but that didn't mean it was something she'd done before. She'd only ever had sex with guys that she loved, and yeah she loved Jeff, but it wasn't the same. She wasn't _with_  him.

"Right." He murmured, looking her deeply in the eyes for a moment before facing the ceiling again.

"I want you to know that I'm here for you." She said to him, "We don't have to talk about what happened in that place if you don't want to, I just... I'm here." He snorted rather derisively.

"You deserve more than just to be a booty-call, Daisy."

"That's not what I meant." She protested firmly, and his frown relaxed somewhat. She paused for a beat, and added, "but if that's what you need..."

"Is that what _you_  need?" He challenged, looking at her again. She was a bit surprised by the pointed question, and surprised by the fact that she seriously considered it.

"You deserve to be more than just a booty-call, too." She decided, her tone still just as firm as before. He nodded as if he'd expected her to say that, and not necessarily that he thought it was the truth. She understood his self-derision; she's felt worthless, before. She thought of the way that Coulson used to make her feel better, without any words, just by putting a hand on her and reminding her that he wasn't afraid to touch her. The circumstances weren't the same but maybe she could start there, with touch.  
  
He sighed heavily as he sat up and swung his feet over the side of the bed, putting his back to her before she could do anything else.

"We were a team, out there." Jeff murmured, his tone of voice making it sound like that was an impossible feat to reach again. Daisy turned completely onto her side to face him, tucking her palm between her face and the pillow.

"We can be a team, here." She told him, and he frowned deeply.

"I'm useless." Jeff muttered. "In there, in that other place, I knew things. I could protect you, protect him - out here I don't know shit."

"Then train with me." Daisy replied calmly, and he slowly half-turned back around to face her, looking as if he didn't quite believe what he'd just heard. She pushed herself up onto one hand, trying to appear nonchalant, trying to ignore the way his eyes dipped across her body for a brief second.

"You would do that?" He furrowed his brow. "But, there's so many other things to be done. More important things for you to be doing,"

"You're not unimportant, Jeffrey." Daisy interrupted him firmly, and he blinked.

And finally, briefly, for the first time since they had returned to HQ (and discounting their little interlude they just had), his expression returned to something a little more familiar. Something a little more soft, and a little less haunted.

"But I won't take it easy on you," She warned him. "If you want to be able to protect me and Coulson, then you've got to be able to fight at least as well as us."

"I want to protect everyone," He put in lamely, looking mildly embarrassed now. She realized what she'd said, and chewed on the inside of her cheek, a little embarrassed herself.

"Of course." She nodded, and pushed on, "I train in the mornings. I get up at five but we could meet at six if that's easier for you." She knew he wasn't a morning person; he was always a little out of it if she and Coulson had to drag him out of bed during the few times Hydra had gotten too close for comfort.

He seemed to be remembering that as well, and the air in the room quickly started to grow awkward again. Reminding them both that they were still quite naked.

"Six would be fine." He agreed quietly. She nodded, and moved to search for her clothes, not wanting to crowd him any more than was necessary. "Thank you, Daisy." He told her, even more quietly then before, and she glanced at him to see him smiling a little toward his feet.

She rested her hand against his shoulder for a moment, once she was dressed again. He tilted his cheek against her knuckles, touching his lips against her wrist briefly before he twisted toward the bed, searching for his boxers. Giving her the opportunity to slip out of the room.

She left his room with a determined set of her mouth. It was a thing that he primarily had to work out for himself, but she would help him find his place again, in any way that she could.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

Naturally, it took Jeff the longest, but eventually he, too, was given clearance to return to duty. He refused, however, to take back the title of Director. He began using all of his free time in training, building up his skills both with hand-to-hand combat and with weapons.

He also informed Talbot that he wouldn't be taking the serum any longer. Talbot insisted he keep the Patriot image around for the public, but he grudgingly accepted Jeff's decision. Besides that, Jemma had practically ripped Talbot a new one about the health dangers the serum posed.

Daisy and Jeff started partnering up on ops, which actually helped both of them significantly. After everything that had happened in the Framework and then his physical training after, he felt more comfortable that he could keep his people safe.

They only had sex once more, after discovering a Watchdog hideout, after discovering the bombs that had been rigged to trap them. After barely getting out in time, and holing up in a motel room to nurse their wounds.

It was far too similar to their ordeal within the Framework, minus Coulson, and that part at least was a mild relief. That he was safe inside HQ, and hadn't just almost been blown to bits.

Daisy initiated it, the two of them pressed inside the tiny bathroom as they dabbed alcohol-covered cotton-balls against each other's skin, a pad of gauze here, a butterfly bandage there. Luckily, no stitches appeared to be necessary. Luckily, luckily.

It seemed she was constantly counting her luck, these days.

They got caught up in looking at one another, assuring one another that they were fine, adrenalin and fear still pulsing through their bodies.

Daisy had nipped at his lip, and he had closed his eyes and groaned, and gripped his fingers around the edge of the sink.

And then their jeans had been on the floor, and he was lifting her up onto the edge of the sink, and she was squeezing her knees around him as he thrust into her.

Later, once they were given clearance to return to base, she noticed the remnant of his palm print on the bathroom mirror, remembering how he'd placed it there as his brow had furrowed, as he'd gritted his teeth, as he'd grunted with each push of his hips. She rested her hand over the ghost print, remembering how she'd come first, and how loud he'd whimpered when she squeezed him demandingly and forced him to come too.

She left the evidence on the mirror, rather defiantly. She knew what it meant, even if to anyone else it just looked like nothing more than a hand-print.

Eventually, Mace even resumed his status as Director, much to the relief of Maria Hill. He didn't go out on as many ops after that.

Everyone's shoulders were slightly more weary, the skin around their eyes darker, pulled tighter, their smiles a little less easy to come by - but they began to settle into what was their normalcy. Focus on Inhuman rights and fighting the Watchdogs once more became the most important job.

But then the Watchdogs kidnapped Daisy, and tortured her, and Coulson went after her all on his own. Coulson found her, and saved her, and everything was alright, but then he kissed her.

And everything changed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, still pretty angsty, not super healthy - don't worry, things can only go up from here.


	3. Chapter 3

Coulson came into consciousness slowly, focusing on his senses one by one. The first, of course, was warmth. The weight of a body against him, not quite pressing, but there all the same. He smiled softly, eyes still closed; it didn't matter that she'd been sleeping in his bed for more than a month, now - each morning, waking up and having her as his first sight of the day, was always his favourite morning. It had yet to fail to amaze him.

She knew that he was awake, as she always knew, and he felt her fingertips touch the corner of his mouth.

"What's this for?" She murmured, then turning her hand over to brush the backs of her fingers against the morning stubble on his jaw.

He turned his head on the pillow, finally opening his eyes. He didn't say anything, just continued to smile at her, and she soon grinned in return, her gaze averting for a moment as she chuckled in embarrassment.

"You're such a sap," she sighed lovingly, meeting his eyes again. She was laying on her side, head propped up on elbow which suggested that she'd been watching him for some time. He shifted to mirror her position, about to question her, but she silenced him by leaning in and kissing him fully. She tasted minty.

"How long have you been up?" He asked once she pulled away, his tongue darting out to taste her on his lips.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" She returned casually, instead of answering him. He sighed, rolling his eyes at himself as he nodded.

"Ironic, isn't it? Being a member of a secret organization and all."

"Not so secret anymore." Daisy reminded him. She clearly had something on her mind, so he waited quietly. "Can I ask you something?" She spoke very carefully, as if she were afraid she would hurt him.

He nodded, a serious look on his face now. Something was bothering her, and he wanted to fix it.

"Do you like Mace?"

Of all things, he hadn't expected that. He blinked, and worry creased her features.

"Of course I like Mace. You know that more than anyone," He reminded her gently, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure where she was going with this.

"Yes, of course." She shook her head, frustrated that she wasn't being very clear. "I mean, are you attracted to him?" He blinked at her again. "I'm only curious. It doesn't bother me, if you're worried about that." She told him urgently, and he raised his eyebrow.

"It doesn't bother you?" He repeated. "Daisy, I... you know that we've talked about Mace before. Is this about the two of you before we...?" He pushed himself up into a sitting position, cross-legged so he could face her. "Because we talked about that too, remember? I never had and still don't have a problem with that. I understand."

"This isn't about me and Jeff," Daisy shook her head again, pushing herself up and leaning on her hand. "It's about you and Jeff."

"Why do you - " He stopped, scratching his brow for a second, "What made you ask? What did I say in my sleep?" He was more frustrated at himself than anything else. He had no recollection of what he'd been dreaming about.

"Mace," she nodded, very at ease and factual about the whole thing, and he looked at her incredulously.

"Mace?" He repeated, still not following, and she sat up fully, crossing her legs as well. Their knees touched, and normally even such simple contact would fill him with pleasure, but right now he was preoccupied trying to wrap his brain around her logic.

"Yeah, I always wondered," she shrugged thoughtfully, "you two had a thing, right? Way back when? Because there were times while we were in the Framework, while we were on the run, where I seriously wondered." She wasn't asking, she was clarifying. He stared at her.

"No," he shook his head, but then continued, "well, not - not really _a thing_." He trailed off a bit lamely, and Daisy leaned forward, clearly interested, pleased to have not been entirely wrong about her assumption.

"But _some_ -thing, right? I mean, he's always so... _fond_ of you, even when you're frustrating him by breaking the rules and such." Her eyes were practically dancing with excitement, and he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"Why are you so...joyful about this?" He wondered, and her smirk was a bit self-deprecating.

"You feel it as well as I do. The Framework connected the three of us, irrevocably. I was... I was afraid that maybe it had worn off for you. That it was just me, maybe because of my powers," She admitted, and Coulson reached for her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"It's not just you, Daisy." He assured her gently. "It's not just you." Sighing a little, he figured he could tell her a bit of history, especially considering she'd just opened up to him about this connection she still felt. "Look, we - we saw each other sometimes, at the Triskelion. We never even worked together, it was just," he shrugged, "there was flirting, I suppose." She appeared immensely pleased at that, and he quickly added, "Look, I honestly forgot all about it by the time I was put on the Avengers Initiative. Years passed, and then with everything else that happened after New York... I didn't even think of him again until I'd become Director, and started gathering up what was left of SHIELD."

"Did you remember who he was when you okay'd him replacing you as Director?" Daisy wondered, and Coulson shrugged again, defensively this time, his eyes drifting away from her for a second.

"Yeah. I mean, it had just been flirting, nothing anything serious." He muttered, annoyed that he felt embarrassed. Daisy's hand on his knee drew his gaze back toward her.

"You still find him attractive, though." She told him knowingly, and he groaned.

"Seriously, what the hell did I say?"

"It's not what you said, it's more...how you said it." She bit her bottom lip, her fingers subconsciously playing with the fabric of his pajama pants. "Plus, I mean, we'd spent a lot of time patching one another up in the Framework. I wasn't the only one who had wandering eyes, you know."

"God, Daisy," he started to apologize again, and she interrupted him again,

"I've been thinking."

"Clearly." He put in a little sarcastically, and she continued as if he hadn't spoken,

"We haven't really talked about what you want," She said, and he furrowed his brow at her, covering her hand atop his knee with his own.

"Daisy, I want you. That's not a lie."

"Of course it isn't," She soothed, brushing her thumb against his. "You are... the best." She informed him seriously, and he smiled carefully, straightening his spine a little. "And don't you dare start getting all cocky on me, but, really. When it comes to us, here?" She glanced down pointedly at the bed. "You are so very... attentive."

He licked his lips again - he couldn't help it - and she laughed and pushed her palm lightly against his chest.

"Stop it, I'm trying to talk," She jokingly complained, but he noticed that she was still leaning closer to him. He settled himself, putting on an innocent expression. "I want to acknowledge this... connection," She seemed annoyed that she couldn't think of a different word for it, "that the three of us have. We've kind of been avoiding it," She finally decided to say, and he tilted his head slightly, questioningly. "What do you want?" She asked again.

"I..." He hesitated, for long enough that she nervously started picking at the fabric of his pants again. "I do have a problem when it comes to acknowledging my," he gave her a little sideways look, " _Connections_ to people, sometimes," He admitted. "But what are you suggesting we do?"

"Look," she huffed, embarrassed about something, "I'm just trying to say, we could arrange something." She glanced up at him. "With him. If you want to."

"Arrange something." He repeated, eyes narrowing just slightly.

"I mean," She removed her hand from his knee, pushing her fingers through her hair, pulling the strands away from her face, "I've _seen_ the way you two are with one another, back in that other world and here in this one. It's not too hard to read between the lines. I've never really done something like that before, but I'd be willing to. If you want to."

"Wait, what are we talking about here?" He wondered, both worried and hopeful at the same time.

"The three of us," Her hands gesticulated vaguely through the air, "being, I don't know, friends."

"Friends?" Coulson repeated dubiously, wondering if that also included the two of them here. Was she trying to pull away from him, in some weird roundabout way?

"Well, more than friends," She looked at him seriously, and then realized what he was concerned about and quickly added, "Way more than friends!"

He was pretty sure she was reassuring him about _she and him_ being 'way more than friends', but...

"Mace being way more than a friend?" He asked carefully. She scratched at her neck.

"Maybe." Was all she said. Coulson had no idea what to say in response, and eventually she added, "Assuming, hypothetically, that he would agree to it." She waved her hand dismissively in the air, and Coulson raised his eyebrows.

"You really think he would?" He chuckled dubiously, finally relaxed now that he (thought he) understood.

"How long has it been since you've been with a man?" She asked suddenly.

"We're going there?" He wondered of the conversation.

"Look, I could go to the store, get some toys, but,"

"Oh, you have a particular sex shop in mind?" He couldn't help but joke, and she made a face.

"It can't be _the same_."

"Daisy," he started gently, smiling at her.

"If he agreed to it, would you want to?" She asked him determinedly.

He opened his mouth, and closed it again after nothing came out.

"C'mon, Phil, I _heard_  you in your sleep,"

"If he agreed... yeah."

"Yeah?" She perked up.

"Yeah." He admitted more freely, breathing it out. After a moment, he asked her very carefully, "Do you want to be with him? Romantically?" Her eyes jerked toward his, searching deeply. "It's alright, if you do. You were with him before, and anyway, with our... with what happened in the Framework, it wouldn't surprise me."

"We never had sex in the Framework," Daisy thought to remind him, and he gave her an almost amused look.

"You didn't have to." He replied with a soft knowing.

So, perhaps he thought of their time in there as 'intimate', as well. Huh.

"Full honesty, here - I don't know." She sighed. "I just... I miss it. I miss our closeness. And it's not just _him_  that I miss, it's the ... it's the whole thing, from the other place. The three of us."

He admired that she could be so honest even as she wasn't sure about her emotions, and he squeezed her hand again.

"Why don't I... why don't I talk to him, and we'll uh... well, we'll go from there." He suggested.

"Okay." She said, nodding, and leaned forward to give him a kiss. Before it got too heavy, she got to her feet and disappeared behind the closet door.

"Um," He sat there for a moment, mildly aroused, a bit nonplussed. "That's it?"

"Yeah," she poked her head around the door as she pulled on her workout gear. "For now. I do agree that you should be the one to talk to him. I don't want him to misunderstand that I'm just ... well, that I'm just considering what he and I had done before you and I got together. I don't want him to think I'm rebounding, or something." She told him, and he gave her a reassuring nod.

Once she finished dressing, she leaned in close to kiss him one more time.

"See ya later, Tiger." She winked at him, and he smiled immediately. "Think about what I've said, okay? You don't have to decide immediately."

"Okay." He promised, and she paused halfway out the door.

"I'm not just assuming that because of our... dammit," She pursed her lips in frustration, and he smirked and said cheekily,

"Connection?"

"Anyway, I'm just trying to be pragmatic here, you know that, right? I'm not expecting the three of us to just hop into bed or anything, but, I just want you to know that the option is on the table. Eventually. If you're ever interested."

"A threesome?" He questioned carefully, mostly because actually saying it out loud made him a little breathless. She nodded.

"A Coulson sandwich, if you will."

"Hell." He choked, and swallowed hard. That had produced a far more arousing image than he'd anticipated. She bit her lip to hide her grin.

"Sorry," She apologized, not sorry at all, and disappeared out into the hall.

Once the door was closed after her, he fell back onto the mattress with a thump, staring up at the ceiling.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

"Of course, Mr. President." Jeff genially told the computer screen in front of him. "Yes, sir. Absolutely. You too, sir." He signed off, then immediately slouched back into his chair as he pulled the receiver from his ear, releasing a heavy sigh.

Coulson, sitting across from him on the other side of the desk, raised an eyebrow with sympathetic amusement. Jeff tossed the ear-piece onto his desk and reached up with his other hand to pulled at the knot on his tie, suddenly looking exhausted. A small part of Coulson preened at the fact that Jeff still felt comfortable enough to lose his Director-stoicism in front of him.

"It's even worse now, you know." He informed Coulson, his eyes unseeing in the general direction of his desk. "Having been out on the field, and now primarily being stuck behind my desk again? God, some days it's like ants beneath my skin; the pent-up energy I've got,"

Daisy's comments from this morning fresh in his mind, Coulson had some thoughts on a few ways Jeff could release that pent-up energy.

"You're very good at it." Coulson told him of the desk-work, ignoring his wayward thoughts, and Jeff laughed at that, though he didn't sound happy about it. "Better than I was."

"Oh, I know," He replied dryly, looking up and meeting his gaze. "I'm still cleaning up your bureaucratic messes." Coulson smiled.

"Sorry," He said, not very apologetic, "I never did like the politics of being Director."

"At least when you were Director, SHIELD was still in the shadows." Jeff pouted a bit. "Now _everybody_  wants a piece of me."

 _More than you know_ , Coulson thought.

"Another reason why we brought you on," Coulson reminded him, and he sighed and nodded, gesturing his hand vaguely in the air.

"Yeah, I know, I know. But who else can I complain to?" He grinned wryly toward Coulson. Coulson returned a small, gentle smile, and Jeff sighed again and sat up, straightening his shoulders and reaching up to straighten his tie. Coulson's eyes tracked the movement for a second, before he jerked his gaze back toward Jeff's face. "Alright, business at hand." Director Mace was back, as if that short moment had never happened. "You heard what The President said? Personal meeting with one Daisy Johnson. I want you to help me on this. Obviously can't have you where anybody might snag footage of you, being dead and all, but I'd like you on surveillance. Close by and on the wire."

Coulson nodded, already mentally starting to prepare the supplies and people he would need with him on this.

"I'll be in the room with her, but that's it other than The President and his protective detail." Jeff said that in a tone that told Coulson that he knew Coulson wouldn't like it.

"His protective detail? In the room as well? Daisy isn't going to attack The President of the United States!" Coulson protested. Itchy gun fingers he _did not_  like, especially since their backup would still be minutes away. A lot could happen in a minute.

"If it makes you feel any better, he never sees _me_  without his detail, either." Jeff rolled his eyes. "Doesn't matter that I'd met him a few times _before_  I was...taking the serum." He trailed off, then continued, "Anyway, they treat every Inhuman as an armed human. Regardless of their true threat level. I realize that's not ideal, but it's what we've got. I'm sure this is just going to be a run of the mill business meeting. The bigger threat I'm concerned about is if the Watchdogs find out about this meeting, and possibly try to attack. There are press and protestors outside of the White House constantly these days, and no matter what we're going to do to keep this on the down-low, I'm going in expecting that word will get out about our presence there."

"I want Mack with me." Coulson told him, and he nodded.

"Whoever you think you need, grab them. Perhaps Agent Rodriguez, as well? We might need to use a quick getaway." He grinned widely at Coulson, and Coulson returned a quick smile, trying not to get distracted. He got to his feet before asking,

"When should I tell my teams wheels up?"

"The meeting is tomorrow at 0800. Wheels up at 0600." Jeff informed him, and Coulson nodded. He started toward the door and then halted, turning back around apologetically.

"Sorry, I guess I'm not quite used to..." He gestured around the office lamely, and Jeff was smiling at him, something a little gentler this time.

"It's alright, Phil. You know you're closer to being my equal than my agent, anyway." Jeff scooted his chair forward, reaching for the keyboard on his desk. "You're dismissed," he added casually as an afterthought, glancing back up one more time before turning his focus fully toward his computer.

Coulson closed the door behind him, just glad that Daisy wasn't with him to have heard that last comment. She'd never let him hear the end of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit more rushed than I would like, but, this is one of those fics where I could sit on it and keep editing it and never end up getting it posted (I've already sat on it for more than a month, now, actually, haha). So, if this seems a little left-field, there will be plenty more discussions to come as the trio continue trying to figure out what exactly they mean to one another. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Coulson & Jeff time, and a bit of history between them is revealed.

Jeff didn't say anything, he only sighed as he sat down rather hard into the jump seat.

"You wanna head upstairs?" Coulson jerked his thumb toward the interior of the Zephyr. "There's a couch up there that's far more comfortable," Jeff's expression made him pause.

"It's quieter down here." Jeff went with, which wasn't technically true because of the rushing wind and cavernous metal space, but Coulson understood what he meant.

"Okay. Just let me know -" Coulson started to head toward the stairs.

"No, you can stay," Jeff interrupted him. Coulson gave him a look, and the other man looked away, possibly embarrassed. "Don't take this the wrong way, but, you're a very calming person." Jeff informed him, almost accusatory, and Coulson smirked, hiding the nervous twitch of his fingers behind his back. He sat down, putting an empty seat between them, not wanting to crowd the Director. Anyhow, Jeff had rather broad shoulders and they'd probably be touching one another if they sat right next to one another.

Not that that was a problem. Coulson wasn't sixteen; he wasn't afraid to touch another person. He was just being respectful, that was all. Besides, he'd touched Jeff's shoulders before, back in the Framework, after they'd all gotten caught up in a nearby explosion...

Coulson pushed his memories of the Framework back into their corner.

"I think that was why Fury paid me." Coulson joked. "Why do you think he chose me to babysit the Avengers?"

"He trusted you." Jeff told him, suddenly quite serious, turning a bit so he could look Coulson in the eye. "The only person he trusted more than you was Maria Hill."

"You do know that you and I both know that Fury is still alive, right?" Coulson checked, calling out Jeff's use of past tense, and Jeff smiled sideways at him.

"Only as alive as Agent Phil Coulson." He winked, and Coulson squinted at him, silently wondering if Jeff had any idea about exactly how he was still alive. His official file still read, of course, 'clinically dead for eight full seconds before being revived'.

Jeff sighed again, leaning his head back against the jump seat as he rolled his shoulders.

"You just need some time to loosen up," Coulson consoled Jeff gently. "Trust me, Director to Director, you should make time for yourself. Even just an hour every couple days, if that's all you can manage."

"Time," Jeff scoffed, "Right." Coulson smiled carefully, knowing that was a commodity when it came to being the Director.

"You could read a book, take a walk, see a film... I know a really great park nearby that's secluded, and has some great spots for the protective detail that will inevitably follow you, so you don't feel crowded by them." Jeff smiled in amusement at that. Coulson gazed across the loading bay thoughtfully, speaking very carefully and as nonchalant as possible, "I've also heard sex is pretty great for relieving stress."

"Excuse me?" Jeff blurted in surprise, and Coulson felt his eyes on him but did not turn his head.

"I mean," Coulson sighed quietly, further relaxing back against the seat as if he were the one confiding something now. "I know how lonely the job can get." He glanced over to gauge Jeff's reaction, still without actually turning his head. He felt direct eye contact would make Jeff even more uncomfortable.

"Well that's just it, isn't it?" Jeff muttered, and Coulson gave a little small, strange smile, but Jeff didn't notice. Jeff released a heavy sigh and continued, louder, "The only people I know anymore are my employees. I certainly couldn't... it wouldn't be proper." He grimaced, almost looking apologetic toward Coulson now, which Coulson didn't quite get at first. His posture stiffened and he started, "This conversation is -"

"Inappropriate?" Coulson guessed. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. I just want you to know that you can talk to me. What is said between us stays between us." Regardless of Coulson's current inability to keep his mind fully out of the gutter, he truly did care about how Jeff was doing.

"No one likes me here, Phil." Jeff finally said after a few moments of silence, his bottom lip sticking out almost like a pout, which Coulson secretly found _incredibly_  adorable. (He always had, really, ever since the first time he saw it; when they were both young and rushing between training classes and the HQ coffeeshop had run out of regular sugar...)

"That's not entirely true." Coulson argued lightly, his eyebrow raised a little as he caught Jeff's eye. Jeff seemed pleased by that, but still tense as if he were about to get up and leave. "Trust me, Jeff. I was Director, too, and before that I was a team lead for a number of years. I understand." Coulson repeated himself, trying to be more meaningful.

"I do trust you." Jeff replied immediately, and then hesitated. He met Coulson's gaze. "I do trust you." His eyes held that faded look that told he was thinking about the Framework, and, pleased with the possible step forward, Coulson smiled at him.

"Some of us are more... your equal." Coulson pointed out casually, and Jeff blinked at him. They both recalled Jeff's comment yesterday.

"Yes...?" He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to follow where Coulson was going.

"Whether you need someone to talk to, hang out with." Coulson shrugged a little. "Or you need someone to..." Coulson looked at him, his expression ending the sentence for him. Jeff's lips parted as he stared at him, and eventually Coulson started to second-guess if Jeff actually remembered any of their interactions from before. He could've mentally blocked out half the shit that had happened in the Framework, what did Coulson know?

"Unless,"

"No!" Jeff interrupted, his moment of surprise quickly leading into embarrassment, "I mean...what about Daisy?"

Coulson looked at him sharply, his fingers twitching with nervousness.

"What about Daisy?" He repeated quickly, and Jeff scoffed.

"Come on. I've known you've had a thing for her as soon as I started this position." The apologetic look he'd made earlier now made sense, and Coulson inwardly floundered for a moment.

No one (outside of Mack and Elena, anyhow) was supposed to know about his relationship with Daisy. With the Sokovia Accords and her only-recently-denounced vigilante status, it could get her into serious trouble.

"Besides that, I remember the way you would look at one another back... back inside the Framework." Jeff almost sounded like he was teasing him.

"You knew... as soon as you first became Director? And you had let me continue to ...?" Coulson wondered incredulously, choosing to ignore Jeff's very familiar comment about the Framework. Jeff looked mildly affronted.

"To search for her? I'd like to think I'm not _that_  much of an asshole." He complained, and Coulson lightly chuckled. A beat of silence passed between them, and Coulson shifted his legs, pressing his palms atop his knees.

"So?" He inquired, and Jeff turned his head a little, gazing at him sideways.

"Just to be clear," He began slowly, and Coulson finished,

"I'm asking if you would like to spend an evening with Daisy and I." Jeff blinked some more as he thought it over. "Here on the Zephyr, which, it's not too bad, honestly. We can fly it out anywhere you'd like to go, really. Or," He added thoughtfully, "keep it in the air. If you're into that sort of thing. You know, it can stay in the air for at least six weeks straight, without needing to refuel?" Okay, he was showing off a little.

Jeff looked overwhelmed.

"I, uh,"

Coulson quickly spoke calmly,

"We can fly somewhere this time. Land someplace...secure. Or, we can completely forget this conversation ever happened."

Jeff stared at him.

"This time." He repeated, a bit astounded.

Coulson gave him another tiny smile.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

"So, in that world, while the three of us were... I mean, you still feel it, too?" Jeff wondered a little quietly as he and Coulson started to head up into the main area of the Z1.

"Daisy and I both do." Coulson confirmed, relieved that Jeff did as well. Daisy would be pleased to hear that. "We always have, we just didn't want... to push you. Or freak you out."

"I knew that she cared about me, I just... I also knew that the two of you were close before we were put into the Framework. So when you kissed her in that helicopter, after rescuing her from the Watchdogs, I..." Jeff trailed off, and shrugged half-heartedly. "I stepped back."

"To be honest, she and I only... recently... admitted that we, uh, well," Coulson scratched the back of his neck. "There's a missing link?" He tried.

"To be fair, it probably wasn't healthy that I had backed away from you guys so completely right after we got back to reality." Jeff replied, following Coulson into the plane's galley. "But it scared me how... _incomplete_  I felt, those first few weeks that we all weren't occupying the same space all the time. Obviously you guys have a way better poker face than I," He said sheepishly, "and I didn't want to be the needy one. It was hard for me to fathom that you guys would be feeling the same way."

"But when Daisy approached you?" Coulson pointed out softly, and Jeff looked at him carefully for a moment.

"That was..." Jeff pursed his lips. "That wasn't exactly _romance_. It wasn't even necessarily for one another, it was just... a reminder that we were real. Still here." He shrugged lightly. "I trusted her to be a safe person to do that with. I guess she felt the same?" Coulson's gaze softened, and then Jeff sort of laughed dryly and added, "I still wasn't sure about you, though."

"Who the hell do you think makes sure you never run out of regular sugar in this place?" Coulson playfully demanded.

"You remember that?" Jeff wondered in surprise, his expression growing lighter.

"I'm not _that_  old," Coulson grumbled, reaching for a coffee mug from the cabinet. He silently gestured toward one in question, and Jeff nodded, so he pulled down another mug as well.

"That's not what I meant," Jeff protested, not entirely catching that Coulson had been joking. "I just wasn't sure, you know, when we first met again,"

"I was hiring you to take over my job and effectively be my boss." Coulson pointed out, and Jeff grinned sheepishly.

"And I suppose it wasn't _too_  memorable; occasional flirting with a random guy in the middle of HQ."

"It was memorable enough."

They shared a mutual look, both of them understanding that had been a lifetime ago.

They were still looking at one another when one of the younger agents entered with a tablet in her hands.

"Excuse me, Director? Can you take a look at this? It requires your signature." She requested, waiting for Jeff to give her the affirmative before approaching them closer.

Coulson turned focused on making the coffees while Jeff dealt with the paperwork. When he was finished, he snarked,

"So have the two of you just been playing team mom and dad, and decided that ol' Jeff needed a good _break_?" His allusion wasn't very vague in the least, and Coulson glanced sharply in the direction the other agent had disappeared to. Jeff probably still wasn't sure just how invested Coulson was in this, and was testing him.

"If you really want to continue discussing this, may I suggest we do so in my office?" Coulson hissed pointedly, and Jeff raised his eyebrow, stepping closer in something of a warning manner.

"Is that a line, Agent Coulson?" Jeff asked him lowly, and Coulson realized that it wasn't threatening he was doing. Coulson narrowed his eyes slightly, fighting the smirk away from the corner of his mouth.

"Should I remind you that you haven't actually answered my original question, yet?" Coulson returned, and Jeff's eyes sparked with amusement.

"Well then," Jeff breathed out, rocking back on his feet, "I guess we should head up to your office so we can discuss this a little more."

Coulson blinked at him, still giving him that same narrow-eyed look.

"Here's your coffee." Coulson handed him one of the mugs, carrying his own as he left the kitchen, knowing Jeff would follow him out.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

"This isn't so bad," Jeff mused as he followed Coulson into the office. It was a larger space than he'd expected in the plane.

"You should've seen the last plane I lived on." Coulson told him wryly, and Jeff half-smiled as he shut the door behind him.

Coulson settled in the chair at his desk, sipping carefully at his hot coffee as Jeff sat down in one of the chairs across. It was quiet, until Jeff laughed nervously.

"Were you serious? About wanting to... hang out with me?" He looked perplexed.

"Do you remember," Coulson asked instead of answering, "the first time we met?" Jeff blinked at him, answering slowly.

"The very first time? The coffeeshop, in the main building." He furrowed his brow, and Coulson looked down into his coffee as he remembered.

"I'd already bought my coffee. You came in and ordered, got your cup and went to the other counter to put in cream and sugar, only to find out they've run out of everything but the fake stuff. You're frustrated, but you apologize to the barista and then rush out - it's obvious that you're late for something." Jeff nodded slowly in agreement, still frowning though.

"I don't remember that being the exact circumstance, though," Jeff pointed out, and Coulson smirked.

"That wasn't exactly when _we_  met, I guess. That was the first time I saw you." Coulson's tone of voice made Jeff blush a little, and he shifted in his seat, and looked down as he took a swig of coffee.

"The same day the next week, I took the chance that you'd been late for a regularly scheduled event, like a class or something. So I showed up a bit earlier. I bribed the barista to hide all the real sugar packets." Coulson continued, and as a look of realization dawned on Jeff's face, he sat up straighter in his chair. "Told her to come up with some excuse for it, that HQ was running low on funds for something important and they had to divert the budget a bit this month, whatever." Coulson waved his hand in the air. "You come in," Coulson smiled as he remembered, "and she tells you right as she hands you your coffee, that they're out of 'your sugar'. She remembered you from before." Coulson chuckled. "She almost gave me away right then, because I think she figured me out. Luckily you turned away before she looked at me."

"You were at the counter, putting cream in your coffee," Jeff remembered slowly. "I was going to do the same." Jeff gave him a sly look, almost laughing now. "But you had a couple sugar packets left. You told me you'd grabbed the last ones." Coulson nodded, smiling about it too, more amused now than embarrassed by the old ploy. "You told me I could have them and I was kind of surprised by that. I had expected you were going to just half-assed apologize about it and move on."

"I almost asked if you wanted to grab a table with me right then and there." Coulson admitted, and Jeff raised his eyebrow over the rim of his mug as he took a drink.

"You didn't. You just said you're welcome and then you left. Well," Jeff added, "after checking me out."

"You noticed that?" Coulson took another drink of coffee, mildly embarrassed by that part.

"A blind person would've noticed that. I think this was _before_  you took any courses in espionage." Jeff teased, making Coulson bark out a laugh. Jeff smiled, pleased with himself. " _That_  was when we met," Jeff nodded.

"Though we didn't know each other's names until a few days later." Coulson pointed out.

"It never really...went anywhere though." Jeff furrowed his brow, wondering.

"No." Coulson agreed quietly.

"That was the year I decided I wanted to focus on research, on journalism. International affairs fascinated me. I guess that was when you were also sent on a new job."

"Promoted." Coulson nodded. "Level Seven,"

"Damn," Jeff whistled, "you were so out of my league."

Coulson chuckled, shifting in his chair. After a moment, Jeff spoke up,

"I didn't know." Coulson tilted his head slightly. "About New York. I mean by then, years had passed, but still, when I saw your name on the wall, with all the others we'd lost..." Jeff trailed off, looking off to the side.

"Are you telling me," Coulson leaned forward on his desk, setting his coffee mug down, "that when President Ellis and Talbot called on you to talk about you becoming Director, that was the first time you knew that I was alive?" Jeff shrugged lamely as an answer, and Coulson groaned and pressed his fingers against his eyes for a moment.

"I was really too surprised to react to it, for a while. I figured you'd been undercover, that's why Fury had to fake your death. I mean, it's not like we had any individualized funerals those months after New York. We'd lost so many agents... hell, at least he gave you a gravestone."

Coulson pursed his lips, looking a little annoyed at that, but he didn't say anything.

"And when we met and interviewed and prepared me for this job, by then I figured you didn't remember me, so, I didn't say anything." Jeff shrugged again, finishing his coffee before setting his mug on the desk. "It is weird though, isn't it?" Jeff frowned, and Coulson raised his eyebrow in question. "Your death. I mean, you're _still_  listed as deceased in the most basic access files. Why is that?"

"It's safer that way." Coulson replied, leaning back into his chair. Jeff narrowed his eyes at Coulson's odd tone of voice. "You became an expert in foreign policy. I became a spy." Coulson shrugged in an 'it is what it is' manner. "That comes with it's consequences." Jeff nodded, settling against the back of his chair as well, before pursing his lips and saying,

"You never answered my question about Daisy. Regarding this _hypothetical_... eh, arrangement." Jeff frowned at himself, shifting in his chair again. "This... I mean, say we _do_  ... more than... talk." Jeff stumbled over his words a bit, though he was still direct. "I'm still your boss. I'm the Director of this organization - you better not be expecting to get anything out of this."

"Oh, I don't know," Coulson looked thoughtful as he gazed down, and then up, Jeff's body. "I think I'm getting a pretty good deal out of this." Yeah, so Daisy was right, occasionally he'd taken some free glances while Jeff had been shirtless during their time in the Framework. Sue him.

Jeff's face turned red, which made Coulson smirk a little.

"Also," Coulson added a little more calmly, "I'm hoping for a little more than just a quickie under the desk. Or, wherever." He gestured vaguely through the air, and Jeff swallowed. "Look, forget about that," Coulson frowned at himself again as he got carried away. "Don't worry about all that. As I said before, downstairs, I just want to be here for you. I want to be your friend. If that's all you want from me than that's all I'll be."

"So even though you _just_  told me you've considered," Jeff stuttered for a moment over the thought, "quickies under the desk, if I decide that I just want you to be my friend you'll agree to that?"

"I'm an adult." Coulson shrugged. "It takes two to tango, as they say." _Or three, but, one step at a time, Phil..._ "I would never force you into anything. I want to be whoever you need. I want to help you. I'm saying all this to you because I also want you to know that is pretty much all-inclusive. Co-workers, friends, a fuck every now and then... a relationship." Coulson shrugged again. "Anything."

"Why?" Jeff questioned quietly, a bit wondrously.

"Because I care about you, Jeff." Coulson admitted, the expression in his eyes giving away just how hopeful he was about Jeff's response. Coulson really, really hoped Jeff wouldn't choose 'the occasional fuck' option, though. He wasn't sure his, or Daisy's, heart could take it. "I want you to be happy. And while being the Director makes having a personal life very difficult, that doesn't mean you _shouldn't_  have one."

"And you understand that better than anyone." Jeff murmured, knowing Coulson was repeating himself for his benefit. Coulson nodded, and brought his coffee mug back up to his mouth. "Honestly, Phil," Jeff sighed tiredly, "I'm too old to fuck just for the sake of fucking. It's just not worth it to me, you know? That emotional connection is what makes it all so fantastic. And anyway," He glanced down at his own coffee mug for a moment, speaking shyly now, "if it was you I was fucking, I don't think I could keep my heart out of the equation."

Coulson coughed and spurted the coffee back into the mug, putting it heavily back onto the desk.

"Jesus, you two have a knack for saying shit like that right after I've taken a drink," Coulson muttered, needlessly brushing his hand down his tie. He'd surprisingly managed not to make a mess. His cheeks were also flushed slightly, which pleased Jeff.

"Speaking of..." Jeff raised his eyebrow, and Coulson chewed on the inside of his lip as he considered how to word this. "Does she even know we're sitting here talking about this right now? She's your girl, Phil, I'm not gonna," Jeff trailed off as Coulson chuckled.

"You enjoy that term, don't you?" Coulson mused. He sighed, and continued, "It was her idea."

"Her idea?" Jeff frowned, slowly setting his coffee mug on the desk.

"Not _originally_  her idea," Coulson quickly corrected. "Not just _her_  idea. She just encouraged me to go after something I wanted."

"Wanted." Jeff repeated, somewhat fascinated. Coulson smirked slightly, embarrassed, but owning it. After a moment, Jeff began to voice the numerous questions he still had. "So she _knows_  we're talking about this? She's alright with it?"

"This conversation would never have happened if she wasn't." Coulson assured him.

"So, say I want to us to be more than friends. How would that work? Would we be... like, polyamorous or something?"

"However you want to define it. A lot of people mix up different versions of poly-relationships, and views differ person to person, so there doesn't necessarily have to be a name for us. And as far as you and Daisy, that is of course between the two of you. I know... I'm not sure if you know this, but she did tell me about the two of you. About when you," Coulson gestured toward the other man, ending his sentence there. Daisy hadn't exactly used the term for them as 'making love', and Coulson wasn't sure what term Jeff would use for it either. Jeff didn't seem super surprised by this, so Coulson continued on, "The three of us made a pretty good team though, didn't we? I don't see why we couldn't here." Coulson offered him a smile, and he smiled in return.

"I thought so, too." Jeff nodded, agreeing. He sat there thoughtfully for a long moment, and Coulson waited patiently. "Tonight," Jeff started, and Coulson's eyes widened, but Jeff didn't notice, "could we hang out? Just the three of us?" He sounded almost shy about it.

"Yes," Coulson answered too quickly, too emphatically, letting out a breath of air as he relaxed. "Yeah. That would be great." Coulson tried not to look too happy about it. "I could order Chinese."

Jeff grinned, able to tell just how happy Coulson was about it, and replied,

"That would be great."


	5. Chapter 5

Before she had left, Maria Hill had asked May to keep an eye on the crew, and make sure everyone was settling back into life sufficiently. May didn't mind the job; it gave her something to do, helped her to move on from her own experiences within the Framework.

Fitz and Jemma had a rough go of it for a while, sure - after Jemma confided in her what had happened, May completely understood that one. She remembered having to take down Lash, who had once been her husband, and she couldn't even imagine how difficult that would've been had he still looked and sounded exactly like her husband. Nevertheless, Fitz and Simmons managed to survive the trauma of it all. Fitz was different, now; more careful, more compassionate, more focused on Jemma than on his work. May thought that was good.

Mack kept his experiences private, but Elena's continuous and patient presence seemed to help him immensely. He eventually recovered healthily, as well. May never did know what his life had been like in the Framework, but she never asked. If Mack wanted the others to know, Mack would tell them.

There was something about the other three, though. Coulson, Jeff, and Daisy. Something that kept May on the lookout, long after they'd each been cleared, long after Jeff had reaccepted the position of Director.

Mace, for one. He'd beaten a man to death with his bare hands - not only was that just vicious, but it was _entirely_  out of character for him. May had no idea how he'd climbed out of that darkness.

Then, for a while, May suspected that Daisy and Mace were having sex, but she never had any proof of that. And then, eventually, it was like Daisy and Coulson were inseparable.

The three of them were constantly in one another's orbit, but it was like they couldn't find their rhythm, couldn't find the right pattern to keep one of them from randomly walling themselves away for a bit.

And now this:

May walking in on the three of them in the lounge, watching a movie. All three of them on the couch, Mace in the middle, slouchy and relaxed and laughing. They were obviously extremely comfortable in one another's presence, and she felt very deeply that she was intruding on something important.

She was desperately curious to dig into Dr. Shaw's files, and read their versions of what had happened within the Framework, but she didn't. After breaking Coulson's trust and privacy in that exact way those years ago, she refused to do so again. No matter how weird the things in front of her may look.

Besides, she understood the bond that developed during strenuous circumstances. People who fought a war together formed a sort of brotherhood that was irreplaceable.

She just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

"May I ask," Coulson began carefully, "about Radcliffe? Why you...?"

Jeff pursed his lips down toward his desk for a long, quiet minute.

"All I could think about," He eventually said, "Was Talbot striking up a deal with him. Having him recreate the Framework for the government's use. Maybe," he shrugged, "as a sort of Inhuman prison." He looked up, meeting Coulson's eyes. "I imagined Daisy being put back in there - and, look, I _know_  she can more than take care of herself, but - she's in there without us. Maybe without even knowing that it's fake." His expression grew even more serious. "They thought they were creating a heaven but it was nothing of the sort. Making a world without regrets - it's not as easy as that! Sometimes our regret is what makes us _good_. So who knows how it would've been for the Inhumans? They could have been in hell." Jeff shook his head. "I couldn't risk that."

Coulson was silent for a long moment, thinking of how he hadn't wanted to risk keeping Ward alive, even on another alien planet.

"Would you have?" Jeff asked, and Coulson knew that he wouldn't have. He shook his head a tiny bit, and Jeff nodded.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

One morning, during their sparring session, Jeff told Daisy about how he and Coulson had first met, at the coffeeshop in the Triskelion. She'd known of the basics, but not the details, and she found herself hesitating to finish their fight, more interested in listening to his story.

"It was kind of stupid and dorky, but I had a bit of a crush on him right away." Jeff admitted, catching his breath, sitting on the floor with his hands propped behind him. Daisy mirrored his position, just a little less out of breath than he was. "The fact that he'd gone through that much effort to chat with a guy and he didn't even know his name?" Jeff shrugged a little. "That was... nice."

"That's cute," Daisy told him seriously, her eyebrows raised. "That's actually really cute. You want to know how he and I first met?" Jeff nodded, looking interested, and she smirked. "He kidnapped me. Put a bag over my head and dragged me to his super-secret spy plane for an interrogation."

"Kinky." Jeff mused, making Daisy laugh and roll her eyes.

Without any warning to him, she used a bit of her powers to help push her up and forward, pouncing on him and rolling him onto the ground.

Their match quickly began again, then, and there wasn't much room for talking.

"Good job!" Daisy praised the next time he'd managed to get the upper hand. "You didn't know how to get out of that one for the longest time."

"Phil taught me," Jeff told her, grinning, wiggling his eyebrows a bit.

She gave him an ' _oh_ _really_ ' look, and turned her head toward the wall, where she had noticed Coulson trying to be all casual, about ten minutes ago. Jeff followed her gaze, and was surprised to see Coulson leaning there against the brick.

"How long have you been there?" Jeff wondered, as Daisy got to her feet and then gave him a hand up as well.

"Long enough to become next in line," Daisy grinned, shaking her arms out and wiping the sweat from her forehead. "C'mon, Phil, you owe me a fight anyway." She gestured toward him, and he stood up off of the wall, approaching but with a wary look on his face.

"Now?" He wondered, and Jeff raised an eyebrow at his tone of voice.

"You're not scared, are ya?" Jeff teased, pulling up the bottom of his tee to wipe the sweat from his face.

Coulson didn't answer, too distracted by the sheen of sweat over the curve of abs he'd just been privy to.

"C'mon, buddy," Daisy laughed, pushing at Coulson's shoulder and physically jarring him back into focus. "You can't ogle your way out of this."

"I wasn't ogling," Coulson protested lamely, allowing Daisy to push him toward the center of the mats.

Jeff lowered his shirt, looking both embarrassed and amused. Daisy had yet to understand how a guy who had a body like  _that_  could be so shy about it. Most guys she knew were more than happy to show it off.

Not that she minded. She found it charming, with Jeff. It was just the way he was. Even after everything, he still had a good heart, a kind heart. At least he didn't doubt himself now as much as he used to.

Having been Jeff's primary trainer, Daisy had a fairly full understanding of his fighting style. While she didn't always know what moves he was going to use specifically, she was aware of every one he had in his repertoire. (Unless he decided to break a random one out from Coulson's tutelage, which, she was going to have to have a talk with Phil about that one.)

Coulson, however, was rather wily. She wouldn't necessary label him as a _dirty_  fighter, but he definitely had his tactics. He also had way more JiuJitsu training than Daisy had, and he knew it.

She usually managed to be quick enough to keep out of his holds, but he was constantly bringing her down onto the mats, off of her feet, keeping her off-balance, keeping her moving. She was impressed that he had the stamina to keep up -

Then again, he had always said he could keep up.

And, in the dirtier corners of her mind, she knew very well about his stamina.

"Gotcha," He muttered, almost to himself, and that was what pulled her back into the present.

She realized he was straddling her, his weight on her legs and her arms in a lock within his own. Narrowing her eyes at him, she knew that if she jutted her hips up hard enough she could probably push him forward enough to slip out from under him, but...

She wasn't sure _she_  could handle thrusting her hips up against his, right now, and keep it focused on the fight.

She was still sweating from her bouts with Mace, and Coulson was sweating now too, grinning down at her triumphantly. She was very, _very_  aware of how much this room smelled like the three of them, right now.

"Told you it would go a little more differently in real life." Coulson said cheekily.

"That is so hot." Jeff sighed, and they both jerked their heads toward him at the same time. He would've laughed at their identical expressions, but he was too busy being aroused.

"There are cameras in here, you know," Coulson pointed out wryly, and Daisy smirked dangerously up at him. He was still looking at Jeff, so he didn't notice.

"I'm just standing here!" Jeff protested. "These are the old models - they don't pick up any sound."

"It's true." Daisy agreed, deadly serious. "Jeff and I have been... very loud, at times."

Coulson choked, and she used the moment to flip him around onto his back, putting her on top now.

"Nope, that was even more hot." Jeff confirmed.

"Unfair," Coulson gasped, "distraction!"

"You don't think your enemy would use distraction in the field of battle?" Daisy pointed out with a raised eyebrow, rolling off of him and getting to her feet. "Let's call it even, AC," she heaved a sigh. "I'm done for the day."

Coulson nodded, and Jeff pulled him to his feet.

"AC?" Jeff repeated, curious, and Coulson smiled a little shyly, glancing toward Daisy.

"Agent Coulson," she replied, picking up her water bottle and taking a swig.

"That's cute." Jeff said, then frowned. "I don't have a nickname for you."

"You could call him BC, for his big - "

" _Daisy Johnson_." Coulson interrupted her loudly, giving her a look. She grinned widely at him as Jeff laughed.

Jeff gave Coulson a long look as he headed out of the gym first.

"I could..." He mused in agreement to her suggestion, and Coulson opened his mouth to say something, but Jeff had already turned the corner.

Daisy patted Coulson on the shoulder, giving him that same sort of long look as she followed Jeff out of the room.

"Sheesh." Coulson muttered to the empty room, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. He couldn't keep the smile from creeping across his face, though, and he walked after them.  
  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

"Oh, and by the way? Phil really likes you. Like, really." Daisy told Jeff one day while they were working in his office. Jeff smiled hesitantly.

"Really?" He asked, teasingly copying her word, but that didn't hide the hopeful tone in his voice.

"Yeah. The serious kind. ... I know that he would like... if you were agreeable to it, I know he would like to um," She hesitated again, glancing back toward the closed office door before lowering her voice and finishing, "he would like if all of us were to one day, you know."

Jeff blinked, a myriad of expressions crossing his face.

"How do you feel about that?" He wondered.

"I feel," she told him determinedly, "that we've definitely reached the point where we need to be one hundred percent sure about this. Coulson - I love him. I've loved him for a long time. Forget about my heart for a second - if you end up breaking HIS heart, if you hurt him, I will be your undoing. I will kick your ass six ways to Sunday and I don't care if you're the fucking President of the United States." She stared him down as he nodded quite seriously, pressing his lips together as he considered her words.

"You do know that I can't promise not to hurt him? Or you?" He asked carefully. "The only thing I _can_  promise is not to do so intentionally." She nodded. That was realistic.

"Also, I think you should know that I've pretty much said the same thing to Phil, about you." She added almost casually, and his eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Well," she amended, "obviously I haven't actually known you long enough to have been in love with you for a long time, but, the meaning still stands." She looked him right in the eye. "The both of you have my heart. And I guess if this doesn't work out, then, well, I'm fucked." She shrugged.

Jeff looked at her very seriously now, but she held up her hand, asking him to let her continue. She wanted to get all of this out while she still had the words for it. He nodded, gesturing for her to continue, and he waited silently.

"I won't lie," she eventually continued, "this is different for me. I've only every been in a relationship with one person at a time. But with you..." She trailed off, looking at him curiously, as if she were still trying to figure him out. "You're just a part of us. I don't know how else to explain it. And Coulson, he feels the same way. He,"

"He loves you." Jeff said to her, but she was still giving him that curious look.

"He loves you, too, Jeff." She told him gently. He was filled with warmth at that, of course, but he kept focused on Daisy.

"I love him, too. And you." He admitted quietly. She smiled softly, because she knew that to be true, but she was pleased that he told her.

"We would never purposely hurt you either, I hope you know that." She looked at him very seriously. "Your Directorship - your eh, image of Directorship - comes first, always. We understand that. We'll be discreet. It's a three-way promise, I know. But we have to agree, that no matter what happens with work, we will never use our personal relationships to dictate what happens outside that door. It's not going to be easy. It's probably not going to be perfect. But we've all got to make the effort." When she finished speaking, Jeff smiled, getting to his feet and walking around his desk to stand by her chair.

"This is just as important to me, too. The two of you... I've never felt for anyone else the way I feel for you two. And I really mean that." His sincerity and affection for her were obvious in his tone, and she smiled back and grasped his hand, threading their fingers together.

"I'll admit, at first I was really worried about this. It scared me, the depth of, well, _everything_  that I felt for you guys. But now... after getting to know you more, working with you more, just hanging out with you? I love you too, Jeff. I've realized that I need to just stop trying to fit us into a box. We don't _need_  to fit in a box. The way we are, and especially the way we are with each other - that's all I need." Daisy said, and Jeff smiled warmly.

"This is awfully deep conversation. Are you about to propose to me, Agent Johnson?" He teased lightly, diffusing a bit of the heaviness between them, and she laughed, her nerves waning a bit. He grasped both her hands within his own, making sure that she was looking him in the eyes as he said, "You're right, in saying this won't be perfect. It will take work. And I think a big part of that is each of us being clear with one another about boundaries, and about what we want. I'm willing to do my damnedest to help this work, though." He hesitated, looking away from her now, and glancing back when he spoke, "I'm also pretty sure I'm probably going to get jealous at some point. I'm only human, after all." She laughed in agreement and nodded, squeezing his hands before letting them go.

"Me, too." She admitted. After a second she added, "Well, mostly human." He smiled again.

"I promise I'll be open about it?" He told her, and she nodded again.

"Me, too."

"I think, the first order of business, is we find Phil Coulson, and we,"

"Fuck his brains out?"

"What?" Jeff stared at her. "No, I was going to say we tell him what we just told each other. I mean," he furrowed his brow at her, " _Really_?"

"Don't you want to?" She said, as if anything otherwise would be ridiculous.

"Well, yeah, but, he already knows that you're in this for the long run. I want to make sure he knows that I am, too." Jeff told her, and she smiled widely at him, standing up as well.

"You're sweet," she informed him fondly, stroking his cheek for a moment before leaning in to kiss him fondly.

"Mm, says the one who basically just professed her undying love," He replied against her mouth, smiling and kissing her in return. "I do have a question, though," he murmured, and she pulled back so he could ask it.

"Yes?"

"When you said that Coulson would one day want the three of us to 'you know', did you mean what I think you meant?"

"Coulson sandwich." She nodded, extremely serious, and it took him a minute to confirm that what he heard was indeed what she had said.

"Coulson sandwich," He repeated slowly, carefully, and she nodded, starting to gesture,

"You know; you, me, Coulson in the middle," She grinned a little, and he held his hand up to stop her, nodding.

"Alright, alright, I think I've got it."

"Hey, uh, don't _have_  to be sexually polyamorous, you know." She told him, actually serious now, putting a little bit of space between their bodies again. "I certainly can only speak for myself, but I'm perfectly content with the way we've been doing things; you know, hanging out," She sort of wiggled a little and smiled again, "Cuddling. And I mean, the sex individually is _fantastic_ ,"

His lopsided grin made her toes tingle a bit, but she managed to valiantly continue speaking without accidentally finding herself in his lap,

"I do know, though, that he's interested in the three of us being together, sexually. He won't ask because he doesn't want to make you feel pressured. But I thought you should know, the opinion is there,"

"He's asked." Jeff spoke up quietly, and Daisy's mouth actually hung open for a moment, in her surprise.

"He asked you?" She sounded really proud, as if her child had just won the spelling bee or something.

"Yeah, he actually said he wasn't sure how _you_  would take it." Jeff pointed out, and Daisy tilted her head to the side, and smiled gently.

"Maybe we need to find a time where all three of us can sit down at once, to talk about this stuff," She laughed, and he did too.

"That would help," he agreed, but then pursed his lips in frustration. "I just don't see how that's possible. It seems like every moment we might get where the three of us are actually free at the same time, Agent May is there." He was perplexed, as was Daisy, by the presence being _her_  in particular. If anyone, they'd expected Elena to be the one trying to spy on them. More than she already was, anyhow.

"Maybe she's curious." Daisy shrugged. "She _is_  my S.O. I did tell her a tiny bit about our time in the Framework; she knows that we all developed a pretty close bond."

"Does she know _how_  close?" Jeff drawled, leaning in to brush his nose against Daisy's, making her laugh and push him back.

"Gimme a few days," Daisy announced determinedly, moving toward the door. "I'll figure something out."

When she left him sitting on the edge of his desk alone in his office, he turned his head toward the window, and smiled widely.

This was possibly the happiest he's ever felt in his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuuuppp, this chapter is definitely rated E.

"You have a meeting with Talbot in a few days?" Daisy asked Jeff, as he refilled his coffee mug in the kitchen.

"Yes?" He replied slowly, wondering why she was bringing it up. It was a boring bureaucratic thing, to discuss funding for further upgrades to the base. Daisy glanced around; the kitchen had a little more foot traffic this time of day, and they weren't alone in the room. Jeff turned toward her, slowly stirring his coffee, and leaned his hip back against the counter as he waited for her to speak.

"Why don't you suggest that instead of him coming here, as he so often does, you meet with him." Daisy suggested, and he raised his eyebrow at her.

"In DC?"

"Yeah," She nodded, a completely casual look on her face, though she was clearly planning something. "I've been chatting up a small group of Inhuman sympathizers in the area, and if I go with you as your protective detail, I could use the opportunity to scope them out, see if they're the real deal."

"My protective detail?" He repeated, smiling a little. She smirked at him and folded her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, who the hell do you think is gonna mess with Quake?" She challenged, and he chuckled, and then hid his amusement behind his coffee mug when one of the nearest agents glanced sideways at them.

"And if you insist on having a suit in the area, well, Coulson could join me." She added, giving Mace a look.

He swallowed loudly, gripping his mug a little tighter, suddenly understanding what it was she was planning. When he didn't say anything after a moment, she said,

"I know he'd appreciate the opportunity to bring out one of his suits again." She shrugged nonchalantly. "He pretends otherwise, but I know he misses it sometimes."

"That would be nice," Jeff mused thoughtfully, and she pressed her lips together as she mostly successfully hid her smile. "I mean," Jeff glanced toward the other agents in the room for a moment, checking if any of them had heard him. "For him. If that's what he wants to do, then sure, I'll bring him." Jeff tried to sound like the magnanimous leader, and Daisy's grin grew wider.

She stepped closer, just past impersonal but not too close to be construed as inappropriate, though Jeff looked down at her nervously nonetheless.

"Wear that red tie," She murmured lowly, for his ears only. "You know the one? He likes that one." Her smile was sweet, and she lightly touched his elbow for just a few seconds. "I like it, too." He nodded silently and she stepped back again.

"Just shoot me the itinerary, and I'll let Coulson know." She assured him in a more formal tone of voice. He nodded again, and she turned to leave the room.

He took a drink as he scanned the room, seeing if any of his other agents had been listening in too closely.

Not like they had said anything odd, or incriminating. It had been a perfectly innocent, totally normal conversation about work.

"You know she relays for Agent Coulson all the time because they're sleeping together." One of the slightly younger guys pointed out as he approached the fridge. Jeff blinked.

"Oh?" He took a drink of coffee, and the agent - James, his name was - did a double-take at his tone as he opened the fridge door.

"You know about it? And you're... okay with it?" He wondered, truly surprised, and Jeff furrowed his brow.

"There aren't any written rules on fraternization. Agents Rodriguez and Mackenzie are in a relationship. Simmons, and Fitz. And, I'm _pretty sure_  May and Piper have something going on," Jeff counted off. He then shrugged. "Coulson and Daisy are by far the most predictable couple here, so, no - I'm not surprised by it."

"Coulson used to be The Boss," James frowned even more, and Jeff tilted his head at him.

"Is The Boss not allowed to have a girlfriend, James?" Jeff asked pointedly, and while no one knew for sure that Jeff was in a relationship, they also didn't know if he wasn't.

"No, no, that's not what I meant," James quickly floundered. "It's just, she's, Inhuman."

A long, heavy silence passed between them, and James noticeably deflated as he knew immediately that had been the wrong thing to say.

"Do you have a problem with Inhumans, Agent James?" Jeff asked very seriously, turning toward the man with his full attention, giving him his best warning glare.

"No Sir, no, of course not - it's just, the Accords. Isn't there," James lowered his voice almost to a whisper, "isn't there some kind of law against that sort of thing? Interspecies fraternization?"

"Jesus." Jeff groaned, rubbing his hand across his face. "The American government hasn't reached _that_  level of depravity, yet." He muttered, thankful. "Where did you hear this?" Jeff demanded.

"Rumors like that have been going around for weeks now, Sir." James informed him, and he sighed heavily,

"Well that's all they are, Agent. Rumors. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to do." Jeff dismissed him, and the younger man nodded and focused back toward finding his lunch.

If these rumors of _interspecies_   _fraternization_   _laws_  originated from up high, then he and Talbot were going to have a whole lot more to talk about than just funding.  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

"We have a meeting," Daisy complained, frowning deeply even though she hadn't even opened her eyes yet.

Coulson mumbled something unintelligible into his pillow.

Daisy turned toward him, bending her knees up to press her toes against his side. He was sleeping sprawled on his stomach, his hands up above his head.

She pushed at him and his left arm came down to wrap around her knees. He was pouting, but he hadn't otherwise moved. She curled her toes into his tee, pushing him again, and he sighed very loudly and exasperatedly before rolling over onto his side, facing her.

"I hate you." He grumbled, blinking at her, and she smiled and shook her head.

"No, you don't." She told him.

"No, I don't," He agreed, sliding his hand up her calf and behind her knee. He looked at her for a long moment, before murmuring, "Kiss me?"

"I have morning breath," She winced, though she was already shifting closer to him.

"So do I," He reasoned, and kissed her fully and softly on the lips. She hummed happily, and smiled against him, which made him smile too. "We have a meeting," He reminded her, when her hand curled around the nape of his neck.

"Hm," She sighed, pulling away. "Wouldn't want to miss Director Jeff all freshly pressed into his suit." She joked, and turned to get up out of the bed. Coulson pushed himself up onto his hands, pouting at her.

"I thought you didn't like guys in suits?" He teased, and she gave him a coy look.

"Some of 'em aren't so bad," She replied.

Coulson and Daisy walked into the Director's office together, the first one's to arrive. Jeff quickly looked up from where he was nervously straightening his tie, and when he realized who it was he almost appeared sheepish.

Coulson pressed his palm flat down the length of his tie, something of an embarrassed gesture as well, and Daisy smiled at both of them.

"You guys are so cute," She cooed, pressing a kiss to Jeff's cheek when she neared him. He leaned into it a little, a pleased smile on his face at her gesture even if he felt mildly affronted by her choice of 'cute'.

"What's with the suit?" May commented, entering the room soon after, eyeing Coulson with something like bemusement. Coulson frowned at her indignantly, as Daisy subtly moved out of Jeff's personal space.

"I still wear my suits!" He fussed, and she gave him a pointed look. "Sometimes!" He added.

"They've got a hot date later today," Daisy announced, and Jeff gave her a warning glare.

"Do you?" May wondered, her tone neutral.

"Talbot," Coulson clarified, giving Daisy a look, as well. "We have a meeting with Talbot. That's why you're here, actually - the three of us will be off base. In the meantime, you're in charge."

"Am I?" May turned toward Jeff, very pointedly. Coulson rotated his jaw when he realized his mistake, and Jeff smiled awkwardly.

"Yes, Coulson's right." Jeff told her, and she snorted quietly.

"That explains so much." She mused, and Coulson frowned. Jeff and Daisy shared a glance, but didn't say anything yet.

"What?" Coulson asked, and May folded her arms across her chest.

"When were you going to tell me that the two of you are partners? Or were you ever going to tell me?" She demanded.

"Wh-what?" Jeff verbally stumbled, swallowing as he looked to Coulson.

"Partners." May repeated as if he was daft. "Co-Directors. Does anyone else know this? Well, other than Daisy, obviously."

"What's that tone for?" Daisy frowned, folding her arms across her chest as well. Jeff had significantly relaxed, however, once he realized what May was talking about.

"Leadership of SHIELD has been rocky, at best." May reminded them - as if they needed reminding. "If there are changes in the hierarchy than the _rest_  of the hierarchy should know about it. The next thing we need are two different SHIELD's again..." She muttered the last part sarcastically.

"But it's not two different SHIELD's," Daisy pointed out, "They are a team. Leading one SHIELD. A better SHIELD, I think." She gave Coulson a particular little grin. "Could be the best, some day." Coulson returned her smile, and May looked like she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Right." She replied dryly. Then she said in her more usual manner, "Alright, fine. I'll hold down the fort while you guys are off base."

"And May?" Coulson said before she walked back out of the office. "I don't think I need to ask you not to tell anyone about me being Director? According to the world at large, it's still firmly and entirely Jeffrey's job." May shrugged as she opened the door again.

"Everyone already thinks you're his advisor," She told him, as if it weren't a big deal. As if she hadn't just fussed that they'd kept this information from her.

Coulson narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering what she was really thinking. Melinda May usually argued her point more strongly than this. Her quick acceptance made him suspicious.

When the three of them were alone again, Coulson gave the other two a very serious look.

"We need to be careful around her." He warned.  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

 **J** : _'PLEASE TELL ME THAT THERE IS WINE.'_

 **P** : _'OH, TALBOT FINALLY LET YOU GO?'_

 **D** : _'THERE'S WINE'_

 **J** : _'OMW'_

"O-m-w?" Coulson read aloud from his phone, and made a face at Daisy. "He's been spending too much time with you." She smiled cheekily at him as she patted the plastic bag at her feet.

"Just don't let him see the Little Debbie's in here until we get to the room," She warned, "I don't want him throwing them out the window." Coulson nodded very seriously in agreement, and turned the key in the ignition to get the vehicle started. Daisy slipped out of the passenger seat to stand outside the SUV, ready to greet Jeff once he exited the building.

Talbot was insistent that Jeff had gone in alone, and though it was annoying and frustrating, Daisy and Coulson had used the time to check out her pro-Inhumans contacts.

And also buy snacks.

The setting sun bounced between the buildings, glaring off of cars every now and then and making her squint. The sidewalks were starting to get more crowded as people began heading home for the day, and Daisy slouched a little more against the SUV, trying to not call attention to herself. She didn't want to deal with being recognized, today.

Jeff exited the building soon enough, strolling down the steps with Talbot at his side. Even squinting through the sunlight, she still noticed how Jeff visibly relaxed once he had eyes on her. And how Talbot did the exact opposite.

She grinned widely once they reached the SUV.

"Johnson," Talbot greeted uneasily.

"Hey, Daisy," Jeff sounded almost _relieved_  to see her, and she quirked her eyebrow at him slightly in amusement. He smirked a little and rolled his eyes, keeping the gesture small so Talbot wouldn't notice.

"Anyway. I'll uh, consider your offer, Director." Talbot said formally, and Jeff narrowed his eyes slightly toward the General.

"I sincerely hope you'll do more than _consider_ ," Jeff threatened pointedly, and Talbot pursed his lips, but nodded.

"See you later," Talbot said, and then looked at Daisy for a moment. "Keep him in line, Agent Johnson."

"I'll do my best," Daisy grinned, and Talbot turned and walked back toward the building, muttering under his breath.

"C'mon," Jeff touched her elbow as he opened the back car door, "let's go before he finds something else to fuss at me about." He pulled Daisy into the backseat after him, sighing tiredly as he settled into his seat, and tugging down the knot of his tie.

Coulson raised his eyebrow toward Daisy through the rearview mirror, and she shrugged at him as she shut the door and reached for her seatbelt.

"Traffic is picking up," Coulson told them as he pulled out onto the road, "it'll probably be thirty minutes before we get back."

"Oh good, nap time!" Jeff announced, leaning over to rest his head in Daisy's lap. She rolled her eyes, but was unable to resist the temptation to slide the tips of her fingers through his curly hair.

He didn't nap; instead spending the drive telling them about the meeting and any repercussions they may need to keep an eye on for the future.

When they got to the hotel, they easily and rather quickly reverted back to their professionalism - at least until they made it into their room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Jeff immediately snatched for the bag in Daisy's hand, suspecting that they were hiding something from him.

"Hey!" Daisy exclaimed, unable to keep it from him in her surprise. Coulson quickly grabbed it in return, though, and dug out the sweets before Jeff could get it again.

Daisy took the bottles of wine from him before their wrestling would result in it broken and spilled all over the floor.

"God, you're sixteen sometimes." She pretended to complain as she watched Coulson hold the box of snacks out of reach, using his body to block Jeff.

"I'm just trying to save you from a heart attack!" Jeff protested, grabbing at empty air as Coulson twisted away from him.

"Hey, let us have our Little Debbie's, or no wine for you." Daisy threatened, and Jeff immediately straightened, pulling his hands away from Coulson. He still had a mildly consternated look on his face, but he wasn't eyeing the cardboard box as if it were the devil itself, anymore.

"C'mon, thats not fair. I _need_  that, after spending the entire afternoon dealing with Talbot."

"While I would normally agree," Daisy nodded slowly, "Our Little Debbie's are at stake, here."

"Fine," Jeff sighed, holding his hands in the air. Coulson grinned and started opening the box as Daisy set the wine in the fridge to chill. "I don't know how you guys eat that stuff."

"More for us!" Coulson crowed, tossing a snack cake toward Daisy. She caught it and wiggled her eyebrows at Jeff as she peeled open the plastic packaging.

Jeff rolled his eyes at them as they both plopped down on either side of the bed, lounging against the headboard as they ate their snacks.

"Well _I'm_  eating real food for dinner," He announced as he pulled the knot of his tie completely loose, leaving the two ends draped through the collar. "If you guys want room service you'd better check out the menu." He pushed Coulson's legs toward the middle of the bed and sat on the edge as he reached for the phone.

"A chicken salad is hardly real food," Daisy scoffed, and Jeff made an indignant expression again.

"It can be!" He protested. "If it's made correctly..."

"Hey," Coulson set the last half of his snack on the end table and leaned forward, reaching for Jeff. "If only eating salads is what keeps you looking like you do, then I won't complain," He said very close to Jeff's ear, his nose brushing against his cheekbone.

"Hey - " Jeff started to warn, but then Coulson placed his hand atop Jeff's thigh, squeezing once before sliding his palm against the smooth fabric of the trousers. Jeff jumped and swatted Coulson's hand away, giving him a look. "I'm on the phone!" He hissed.

"No one's picked up, yet," Coulson pointed out, removing his hand from Jeff's leg to instead grab Jeff's tie and pull it, excessively slowly, from his shirt. He glanced over at Daisy and saw her watching with calm intent as she finished up her own snack. He grinned before tossing Jeff's tie at her as if they were in some sort of strip club, and she laughed.

"Hello? Yes, this is room four-oh-six." Jeff tucked the phone closer to his ear and pushed Coulson, who didn't move very far away. "I'd like to order room service? Yeah. Three meals."

Daisy scooted over and leaned between them, across Coulson's lap to grab the menu, quickly poring through the available items. Coulson read it over her shoulder, and by the time Jeff had finished giving his own order they were ready to pass along theirs.

"No rush," Jeff assured to the other end of the line once they'd finished ordering. "Four-oh-six, yes. Okay, thanks." He passed the phone to Daisy, who was still laying across Coulson's lap, for her to put it back in the cradle. He pursed his lips at them. "Pancakes? Seriously?"

Coulson and Daisy grinned twin smiles.  


**< ><><><>**

 

 

By the time the food arrived, they had already opened one of the wine bottles and each finished almost a full first glass. A bit buzzed because of the lack of anything other than alcohol in his stomach, Jeff had already removed Coulson's tie and shoes for him, and insisted that he remove his jacket.

Coulson only agreed to do so if Jeff did the same.

The playful mood in the room, however, slowly petered out while they ate. They easily discussed work, and Daisy's new pro-Inhuman contact, but once they had finished eating and their dirty dishes were being removed, they stood around the room rather awkwardly.

Daisy couldn't speak for the other two, but she knew why _she_  was nervous. This was it, really. For the near future, tonight was the only night the three of them had together. And while she'd had sex with Coulson, and sex with Jeff, she was suddenly doubting if she knew what she was doing here.

Here they were, all of them now in t-shirts and sweatpants, the SHIELD logos making her think for a hilarious moment that they were all recruits at some boot camp somewhere, sneaking off when they weren't supposed to.

"Hey, there's an old Truffaut movie on," Coulson announced, sitting on the end of the bed as he looked through the TV guide.

"As long as it's not Jules and Jim," Daisy joked, jarred back into focus and mildly uneasy as she recalled the film.

" _Jules et Jim_?" Coulson replied, sounding far more French than she had.

"Dork." She returned lovingly, climbing onto the bed and scooting to the middle, propping up the pillows so she could lean against the headboard comfortably.

"What are you talking about?" Jeff wondered, sitting on Daisy's right, passing her wine glass to her and putting his own on the side table before swinging his legs up onto the bed and settling back.

"It's an excellent film, but, maybe not one we should watch right now? Given the circumstances." Daisy told him, looking at Coulson, who half-smirked at her and nodded in agreement.

"We can introduce you later," Coulson told Jeff, before turning back toward the television screen. "Don't worry, anyway, it's Stolen Kisses, I think."

"I haven't seen any Truffaut." Jeff admitted, and Daisy wiggled a little to get comfortable, the two of them leaning against one another's sides.

"Oh, we should watch it. At least you get the opportunity to watch Coulson watch Truffaut films. It's pretty great."

"Stop making fun of me." Coulson playfully grouched as he tuned the station and then got to his feet, wanting to get his mostly empty glass of wine before settling down on the other side of Daisy.

The version playing had subtitles, though Daisy had seen the film once before so she found herself watching the action more than reading the words on the screen. Coulson still laughed more often than the other two did, but none of them minded.

Snuggled in between the two of them, Daisy thought that this was rather nice. Unlike when they hung out in the lounge on base, they could now sit as close as they wanted, and they did - shoulders and hips and legs all sharing warmth.

"So who's going to do the awkward date arm drape?" Jeff piped up after a while, and Coulson gave him a sideways look, raising his eyebrow.

"Well _you_  mentioned it," He pointed out, and Jeff sighed a long-suffering sigh, but smiled widely as Daisy leaned forward enough to let him curl his arm over her shoulders.

After another few minutes being focused on the film, Coulson turned his head and nuzzled Jeff's hand, and then scooted down on the bed a little so he could use Daisy's shoulder as a pillow. Jeff rested his hand against Coulson's nape and Daisy could feel the way Coulson immediately relaxed and smiled against her shoulder.

With her free hand she reached for Coulson's hand, resting it atop her leg and threading their fingers together.

It was nice - it was way better than nice - and the cuddling usually was. But there was still a heaviness in the room that all of them were aware of, and none of them were sure exactly how to break it.

They were all nervous, Daisy realized. This wasn't just some one-off event for fun. This was - hopefully - the first of many, and solidifying something more than a weird friends-with-friends-with-benefits thing.

Daisy swallowed down the rest of her wine, letting go of Coulson's hand so she could reach over Jeff to set her empty glass on the end table next to his. Slow to return to her previous position, she dragged her lips across his, giving him a long kiss as she passed. He responded easily and warmly, moving his lips against hers in deliberate slow motion. As she settled back she gave Jeff a gentle smile, waiting until she saw his smile in return before then turning to Coulson. She took his hand that she had been holding earlier and lifted it up to her mouth, kissing his knuckles in the same slow manner she had kissed Jeff.

Jeff watched them intently, and when Daisy moved to kiss Coulson's mouth, Jeff leaned across to kiss Coulson's fingers.

Coulson's kiss was a little more dirty than Jeff's had been, his tongue tracing against her lips as if he was trying to taste Jeff, too, his body twisting toward hers in an effort to be even closer.

Jeff nipped the tip of Coulson's finger lightly, and Coulson reacted by deepening the kiss, opening his mouth against Daisy's. Then Jeff's lips were against the side of Daisy's neck, sucking against the soft skin as Coulson started doing that thing with his tongue that he knew Daisy loved.

All of a sudden, Daisy wasn't nervous anymore. She tilted her head back for a second, trying to catch a breath, and Coulson just stared with darkened eyes as Jeff continued to mouth her neck.

Jeff brushed Daisy's hair out of the way with one hand, trying to reach more bare skin to kiss, and she watched as his other hand stretched across her toward Coulson, his fingers sliding over Coulson's stomach.

Something in her chest - and much lower - tightened as she watched Jeff's hand press against Coulson's t-shirt.

Coulson sat up almost immediately, peeling off his t-shirt with no hesitation. They had all seen one another's scars, by this point, and he wasn't worried if they would be uncomfortable by the angry mark on his chest. He already knew that they weren't.

Daisy grasped his arms and shifted under him, rolling them so now he was in the middle. Coulson laughed a little at her move but went with it easily.

Jeff hummed his approval and immediately started kissing Coulson's neck, jaw, and shoulder. He guided Coulson to lie flat on his back and trailed his kisses across Coulson's upper chest, above his scar, gently avoiding it for now.

Daisy watched them for a second, admiring the view, before she also joined in and started giving attention to any of the areas that Jeff currently wasn't. Coulson, knowing how much Jeff loved it, slid the fingers of his right hand through his curly hair, and his left hand he slipped around and underneath Daisy's tee, touching the warm skin of her back.

Daisy almost got distracted again when she saw Jeff start full-out making out with Coulson.

"God that is _way hot_ ," she moaned under her breath.

Coulson smiled against Jeff's mouth and pushed his fingers low beneath the waistband of her shorts, curling around her ass, tugging her closer against the side of his leg. With his other hand Coulson tugged at the hem of Jeff's shirt, and he took the cue to remove it; sitting up on his knees to pull it off, then tossing it out of the way.

Coulson pushed himself up on one arm to kiss Jeff's chest, and then he turned a slow gaze toward Daisy. He grinned slyly a little, and scooted down to the end of the bed, guiding her onto her back and maneuvering himself between her legs.

Daisy held her breath for a moment as she realized his intention, and then she tried to force herself to breathe because she didn't want to pass out. Coulson placed his palms on top of her thighs, his thumbs pressing into the inner curve of her legs just beneath the edge of her underwear. He then turned slowly toward Jeff, and looked right at him as he lowered onto his elbows and slipped his arms beneath Daisy's hips, his knees bent beneath him.

"Oh," Daisy said out loud, wriggling a little in anticipation. Coulson was _very good_  at this, and he'd previously expressed to her that he enjoyed it at least as much as she did. (He'd been feeling very cocky about himself, that day. She'd made sure to turn him into a mumbling mess soon after.) Daisy's eyes drifted closed for a moment as Coulson started teasing her with the tips of his fingers, so she didn't see Jeff slip off of the bed and walk around the end of it.

Jeff sighed in that heavy, pleased way that Daisy recognized, and she opened her eyes again to watch him pull down Coulson's sweatpants, all the way to where his knees were bent on the mattress. Daisy raised a slightly mischievous eyebrow down at him - he was going commando.

Coulson made his 'I'm pretending to be innocent even though everyone damn well knows I'm not' face, but the effect was lost a bit considering he was already half-hard and they could both see it. Jeff leaned over and kissed the back of Coulson's shoulder as he reached around for his length, fisting it with a familiarity that fascinated Daisy.

Knowing, and having the pleasure of watching, were definitely two very different things.

Coulson's eyes closed as a pleased look grew on his face, and almost as if he weren't thinking fully about it, he pressed one of his fingers around her underwear and inside of her. She sucked in a breath, with pleasure, but it seemed to jar him back into focus and he immediately removed his finger. She frowned at him, but without any further hesitation he grasped her pants and pulled them down, underwear and all. He shifted back so he could pull them off of her legs, and Jeff let him go for a moment, taking the opportunity to peel off his own sweats and boxers.

Coulson's hand was still on Daisy's calf when he realized that Jeff was totally naked now, and he seemed to be frozen for a half second, fingers twitching tightly against her skin for a moment. Then having decided, Coulson reached for Jeff's waist to pull him closer to the edge of the bed, kissing his stomach and the front of his hip lingeringly, though not quite as slow as they'd been kissing before. Without much more preamble than that, Coulson took Jeff's erection in his hand and slid the pad of his thumb up underneath the length of it, taking half of it into his mouth when he reached the tip. His other hand then drifted back to Daisy's leg, just sort of holding on to her while he did something with his mouth that made Jeff moan deeply.

Daisy smirked a little. She had a pretty good idea what he'd done.

She bit her lip as she tried to calm down some of the arousal that was frankly starting to overwhelm her from watching them, but her own hands had already drifted down her body, brushing against more sensitive areas while avoiding the one place she really, _really_  would like to be touched right now.

Coulson released Jeff's cock from his mouth, giving Jeff a little smirk before turning back toward Daisy. She looked up at Jeff, seeing his hooded gaze as he watched Coulson unceremoniously shove his face between her legs. She whimpered, digging her heels into his back as a bit of a reprimand, though she quickly forgot about reprimanding him once he started moving his tongue.

She tried to keep her eyes open, wanting to see everything that was happening, not wanting to miss anything, but Coulson was making it awfully difficult.

Jeff's eyes darkened even further than they were, and he once more positioned himself behind Coulson, sliding his hands up his back and then over Daisy's legs appreciatively.

Coulson moaned into her, the sound vibrating against her in all the right ways, as Jeff rubbed himself against him.

Daisy clenched her fingers tightly into the sheets of the bed, hoping to God she didn't end up somehow Quaking the place down. Sex hadn't made her do so before - great as they both were at it - but this was also far more stimulation all at once than what she'd dealt with before.

As if he knew her worries - and maybe he did, sometimes he was weird that way - Coulson slid one of his hands forward and threaded his fingers through hers, holding onto her hand firmly. His grip tightened when Jeff thrust into him, but Daisy was the one who quietly gasped,

"Oh- _fuck_ \- "

Coulson was careful not to press against her any harder than he wanted to, but there was something incredibly erotic to her about being able to feel the effects of Jeff's body moving against Coulson's.

"Mmm," Coulson seemed to agree, pressing his cheek against her inner thigh for a moment as he tried to gain a little semblance of control over himself again. Much like sex with Daisy, sex with Jeff was always something he treasured in a way that one would something brand new - even months and months later. This, with the both of them, at the same time, was almost bordering on too much. It was too good, too soft, too loving, too familiar, too new -

"Hey," Daisy called softly, and he realized that his eyes had closed. He opened them to look at her, too late realizing she'd see how bright his own were. "Are you okay?" She asked, and Jeff's fingers tightened fractionally around his waist in concern. He hadn't done anything beyond that first thrust, but even still, Jeff had completely stilled with worry he may have hurt him.

"I'm - God, this is - " Coulson laughed a little hysterically. "I'm good. I'm good." He assured them both, getting a handle on himself. He chuckled again, lightly, touching kisses against Daisy's skin that could have been chaste had the location been a little different.

After she shared a look with Jeff overtop Coulson's head, Jeff gingerly draped himself on top Coulson's back, his palms on the bedspread either side of him.

Daisy could just reach his fingers with her free hand, and she smiled at him as their skin touched.

Jeff rolled his hips again, Coulson's own erection rubbing against the sheets in a way that was more than stimulating enough given everything else that was happening. Seeming to have pulled himself together, Coulson tucked his face between her thighs again, quickly finding a rhythm against her that matched Jeff's movements.

The guys were not shy in vocalizing their pleasure; there wasn't much dirty talk going on - there wasn't much talk at all, actually, which was somewhat impressive given the logistics that had to be figured out - but there was plenty of grunting, groaning, and other distinctively male noises that had Daisy coming against Coulson's tongue almost embarrassingly soon.

Except, he didn't let up, not completely, anyway. He slowed down, let her ride it out, but he never actually stopped moving his lips or tongue. She was sure that she started making some obscene noises too, eventually, but it sort of became this hazy blur of nothing but...peace.

Pleasure, definitely, and love, of course, but the peace - that was interesting.

She vaguely distinguished Jeff making that growling sound that he would do during a particular good orgasm, and Coulson seeming more than okay with the fact he'd come all over the sheets, but the best part - okay, the second best part - was afterwards.

A naked, sweaty, sticky, mess, all tangled together, pressed against one another as if they wouldn't see each other in the morning. Coulson in the middle, with his nose just barely touching Jeff's, and Daisy's mouth relaxed against the nape of his neck.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this one - my keyboard has been wonky and making it difficult to type for any long period of time. Nevertheless, here's a little sumpin-sumpin. ;)

Early the next morning, Daisy awoke and quickly realized that Jeff was not in the bed. Coulson was on his side, sleeping deeply, his face nestled into the pillow, but the space behind him was empty.

Twisting around to look around the room, she found Jeff standing at the window, curtains drawn open for him to gaze outside. It was too early for the sun to be rising, yet, however the light in the room hinted that it would be happening soon.

She took a moment to appreciate the curve of his shoulder, the broad muscles of his back, the bare-naked (and great looking) ass.

Then she quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Coulson, and moved next to Jeff. She didn't immediately touch him though, because she could tell that he was tense about something. The haunted expression on his face kept her still, although his hair was deliciously tousled and she desperately wanted to press the pads of her fingers against the scruff on his jaw.

"Sometimes," Jeff started quietly, after a long moment, "sometimes I wake up and I'm not sure if I'm awake."

Daisy nodded quietly, understanding entirely.

"How do I know this is real?" He whispered, still staring out the window.

This city didn't truly ever sleep; people and cars were already bustling about the streets, intent on beating the nastier traffic that would soon come. She had a feeling that he wasn't noticing that right now, though.

Daisy slowly took his hand in hers, noticing how clammy it was, but not shying away, and lifted it up to his own face. She pressed his hand between her own and his jaw, making sure he felt the scrape of the morning scruff there.

"Because of this," She murmured, pausing for a moment before then lowering his hand palm-up between them. "And because of this," touching the tips of her fingers to his palm, she sent him a tiny gentle burst of her powers.

When she looked back up at his face, his eyes had softened and his shoulders had relaxed.

"And because of this," She added, grasping his hand and resting her other hand against his chest as she tilted close to kiss him softly on the mouth. He closed his eyes, and sighed quietly after she pulled back. She bit a smirk away and added, "And because of that." And she pointed her thumb toward the bed, where Coulson still lay asleep.

He was just as noticeably naked as they were, since the bed-sheet was only pulled up just to the curve of his lower back. She ignored the own fluttering in her chest at the sight, and glanced back toward Jeff. The haunted look on his face was gone, now, and he was smiling softly, his exhaustion evident in the droop of his eyes and mouth.

"How long have you been up?" She murmured, and he shrugged half-heartedly. "It's still early. Let's sleep a few more hours before we leave," She suggested, not in a tone that she was telling him what to do, but as if it's what she wanted. (Which, of course she also wanted - she wanted as many hours with the both of them as possible.) She tugged him a little toward the bed, and he followed silently and willingly.

She half climbed back onto the bed, pushing firmly on Coulson's shoulder to get him to roll over onto his back.

"Scoot over, AC," She said, not loud enough to scare him awake, but enough that he would heed her words even if he didn't fully wake up. He grumbled a bit but did as she asked, throwing his arm up above his head, tucking his face into the crook of his elbow. Having more room, now, she tugged Jeff down onto the mattress and urged him to snuggle into the middle, and once they were all settled she pulled the sheet up further over them.

"Thank you, Daisy." Jeff whispered, as they faced one another. She nodded simply, and reached up to push her fingers through the front of his hair, soothing her thumb against his forehead. His eyes eventually drifted closed, and Daisy stayed awake for a little while longer, waiting until the rise and fall of his chest had noticeably changed; waiting until she was sure that he was asleep.  
  


**< ><><><>  
**

  
 

The next morning, back at the base and in desperate need of caffiene, Coulson shuffled into the kitchen to find Jeff there, pouring coffee. As Coulson approached closer, he realized that Jeff was holding the grumpy cat mug.

Coulson stilled, pouting a little, hands hanging loosely by the side of his workout shorts. He hadn't been to the gym, yet; he wanted his coffee first. But...

"Is something the matter, Agent Coulson?" Jeff asked, his words casual, his tone nonchalant, and his expression anything but.

"That's my mug." Coulson murmured quietly, staring at the coffee mug in Jeff's hands as Jeff turned to face him fully.

He was definitely pouting, now.

It hadn't been explicitly stated that this particular mug belonged to Coulson, but it had been widely accepted, and no one else used it. It was very likely that Jeff didn't know about this, yet, so Coulson couldn't be mad at him about it, but... still.

His mug.

Jeff didn't say anything, and Coulson looked up toward his eyes. Jeff was smiling warmly at him.

"I know." Jeff replied softly, and held out the fresh cup of coffee.

Coulson's eyes immediately lit up, though he was careful to keep the grin off of his face. Elena was just at the stove, after all, whipping something up for herself and Mack, and Coulson didn't want her to think that he was being _too_  friendly toward the Director.

"I hope I put in the right amount of cream?" Jeff's honest concern over this slipped out in his tone as Coulson accepted the mug from him.

Coulson made sure to purposefully brush his fingers against Jeff's before pulling away, and smiled very quickly at him before covering the lower half of his face with the mug, blowing the steam away from the top. Coulson took a careful sip and couldn't keep his smile from widening for a moment.

"Perfect," He praised quietly, and Jeff absolutely preened at that.

Jeff turned his slightly shy smile back toward the coffee maker as he poured himself a mug as well. Coulson wanted to kiss him, desperately, and his eyes darted over to where Elena was standing in front of the stove with a ridiculously overly-innocent expression on her face.

"We have a meeting at one o'clock, right?" Coulson asked Jeff conversationally, loud enough that Elena would hear. Jeff glanced sideways at him as he stirred sugar into his coffee.

"We do?" Jeff wondered, confused, but quickly caught on judging by the look in Coulson's eye. "We do. Yes. One o'clock." His eyes darted down to Coulson's lips before he dragged his gaze back down to his coffee mug.

Coulson took another slow sip of his coffee, biding time until Jeff had finished his preparations and faced him once more. Coulson nodded, and held out his free hand.

"See you then," Super casual, just a hand-shake, an acknowledgement between coworkers. People shook hands all the time. Except, nobody has shaken Jeff's hand before quite like how Coulson was doing just now. His thumb rubbed against the top of Jeff's knuckle, and his pointer finger pressed into the soft skin of his wrist. It all happened very quickly and then Coulson was gone, heading off toward the gym with coffee in hand, and Jeff was left standing there, his hand drifting back down to his side in slow motion. As if by just looking at it would reveal how Coulson's "innocent" handshake had affected Jeff, Jeff shoved his hand into his pocket, and he took a large gulp of his coffee.

Heading up to his office, he spared a single wayward glance toward Elena. She was still working on her omelette, that entirely unbelievable look of innocence on her face. Jeff smiled somewhat nervously in her direction, trying to casually acknowledge her presence and not quite succeeding. He hopped up the stairs before she could say anything to him.  


**< ><><><>**  


 

"What the hell are you doing?" May frowned, pausing by the table as she watched Coulson whisk up batter in a bowl. "Is that apron yours?"

"Yes." Coulson said defensively, though he was more focused on his mixing pattern. "I'm making pancakes," He then answered her first question, as if that had been obvious. As if it wasn't a weird thing for one to be doing at three o'clock in the morning.

"Right."

He glanced up at her again, but she was still just standing there watching him. He knew she didn't like pancakes, so he didn't worry about offering her any, and turned toward the fridge to retrieve the container of blueberries.

"Phil?" May spoke up maybe a minute later, as he was deciding on how much of the container he wanted to add to the batter.

"Yeah?" He replied distractedly, starting with half of the box and folding the fruit into the batter carefully. She was silent for a moment longer.

"Never mind."

When he looked back up, he was once again alone in the kitchen.

Shrugging, Coulson tossed a few berries into his mouth as he turned back toward the stove to check the temperature of the pan.

He was only making a serving, so it didn't take long until he was finished. He plated them carefully, pulling out a knife, fork, and napkin as well. He then quickly rinsed and put the other dishes in the washer, and once again grabbing the plate and utensils before heading up the stairs toward the Director's office.

Just before he'd decided to cook breakfast food in the middle of the night, Coulson had walked in to find Jeff asleep at his desk, bent over papers with one hand beneath his cheek and the other stretched above his head, pen barely balanced between his loose fingers.

He never complained, but Coulson knew that he didn't always sleep well. Coulson was well familiar with the old tactic of simply returning to finish paperwork when the pillow didn't suffice. He was also familiar with unsettling dreams, and the way they could haunt you for days afterwards.

As quietly as he could, Coulson shut the office door behind him, padded across the room, and set his items on the corner of the desk. He then stepped around the desk and knelt next to Jeff's chair, reaching a hand out and grasping Jeff's shoulder gently.

"Hey," He murmured, and Jeff flinched violently, his fingers gripping tightly around the pen in his hand as he jerked his head up. "Easy," Coulson soothed, his eyes glancing toward the sharp object that Jeff wasn't quite completely brandishing at him.

Jeff blinked at him for a second, taking just a few moments to orient himself and recognize Coulson. He then relaxed, dropping the pen with a clatter onto his desk and leaning back against his chair, groaning as he rubbed his eyes.

"What time is it?" Jeff muttered, his voice thick and heavy with sleep. Coulson thought he could practically melt at the sound, but he managed to keep it together.

"Late," He answered, still speaking just as gently as he had before. "Or early, depending on your point of view." He allowed his hand to drift off of Jeff's shoulder, and Jeff turned his head toward him, as if he hadn't noticed his hand there before.

"You," Jeff started, and then sniffed the air. His brow furrowed as he finally noticed the food sitting on his desk. "Are those pancakes?" He asked dumbly. Coulson nodded.

"They're blueberry." He informed him, knowing that blueberry was Jeff's favorite, and Jeff looked back at him, having to look down slightly as Coulson was still kneeling next to his chair.

"You made me pancakes?" Jeff wondered, sound almost a bit awestruck, and Coulson gave him a little smile, turning and reaching to pull the dish closer now that there wasn't danger of Jeff knocking it over in his sleep.

"I imagine you didn't eat much dinner, if any at all," Coulson shrugged a little, as if it had been no problem at all. Which, it hadn't been. He'd wanted to do this for Jeff. He hoped it would offer at least a little comfort.

"Phil," Jeff crooned, reaching for Coulson and not the food, leaning over a bit so he could kiss him. "God I love you," Jeff sighed against his lips, giving him one more quick kiss before leaning back and just looking at him, smiling fondly.

Coulson could feel that he was smiling like a dork, so he gestured toward the pancakes and got to his feet, saying a little awkwardly,

"You should eat those before they get cold."

Jeff dutifully picked up the fork and pulled the plate a little closer to him. Coulson watched him take a bite, and close his eyes with a smile and nod, and then he leaned over and curled his hand loosely around the back of Jeff's neck, dropping a kiss against the side of his head.

"And try to get at least a couple of hours of sleep in a real bed, okay?"

"Thank you, Phil." Jeff's voice drifted across the room just as Coulson was leaving, and Coulson turned back around as he held the door open, the two of them sharing a significant look.

"I love you, too." Coulson told him softly, and Jeff smiled a little cheekily, holding his fork aloft as if the pancakes were proof.

"I know," He replied.

Maybe the pancakes were proof.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dirty dreams, goofing off, Marvin Gaye...

The three of them were working in his office one day, in quiet and comfortable companionship, when Daisy managed to ruin the whole thing with just six words.

(Okay, she didn't _ruin_  anything - in fact she was about to make their whole work day a heck of a lot more fun.)

"I want to lick your face." Daisy announced - no, _informed_  him. "Is that weird?" She sounded like she didn't care about the answer.

Jeff reared his head back, giving her an appalled expression. Coulson laughed gaily from the other side of Jeff's chair, and suddenly he started to feel like they were boxing him in. When had they both moved to surround his seat behind the desk?

He didn't catch their shared look overtop his head, and had no warning before both of them leaned in close, their noses pressed against his cheekbones, their tongues flat and wet against his skin just in front of his ears. He yelped, flinching enough that it could be considered a jump, and wrapped his fingers tightly around the armrests of his chair. As if on cue, both Coulson and Daisy slowly dragged their tongues upward.

"Stop," He ordered sharply, unmoving, barely even breathing. It alarmed him, this feeling that coursed from his throat all the way down to his groin. The other two immediately pulled away from him, but not very far.

"That, are you...?" Daisy wondered slowly, not teasing him anymore. She sounded surprised, and a little breathless. He clenched his teeth together and swallowed, his death-grip on his chair unrelenting.

"Yeah," Coulson was the one who answered her question, his breath ghosting against Jeff's ear before he nuzzled it. Jeff closed his eyes, trying to not be so aroused. He hadn't expected it, and apparently neither had they, but his chest felt tight with the power of it.

Another silent communication must've happened without Jeff noticing, because then he felt Coulson mouthing along his jaw, heading in the direction of his mouth, while Daisy pressed her hands firmly along his chest, sliding against the fabric of his shirt.

"Aw, fuck," Jeff sighed, quickly giving in to it, turning his head to meet Coulson's kiss with an open mouth. He couldn't decide where this electrical feeling was beginning or ending; Coulson's tongue against his own, or Daisy's methodical squeezing of the growing bulge in his trousers.

Jeff shifted in his chair, twisting his hips a little into her touch as he whimpered into Coulson's mouth. His hands were still on the chair, as if they'd tied him down. He felt frozen, almost, by the waves of arousal that coursed down his spine, spread throughout his entire body. It was like they were in his _veins_.

"Please," He managed to gasp out quietly, when Coulson took a moment to focus his lips on Jeff's neck. Coulson, with desperate but efficient fingers, tugged at the knot of Jeff's tie and opened his collar, pulling the shirt away enough that he could reach the dip of his collarbone. He sucked against the soft skin there, then soothed it with his tongue, then repeated the process over again. Jeff squirmed, panting now, not caring that they'd riled him up like this so quickly. He'd wonder at that, later, right now he just needed...

He needed exactly what Daisy was doing, as if she'd read his mind. The metal of his belt clinked as she opened it, the zipper of his trousers loud between his heavy breaths. Without removing his face from Jeff's neck, Coulson slipped his hand down Jeff's shirtfront, blindly feeling his way into Jeff's boxers and pulling free his hardening length. He stroked him slowly a few times, and Jeff opened his eyes again, wondering where Daisy went, because he couldn't feel her anymore.

He found out the next time Coulson's fist dropped to the base of his cock; Daisy took the rest of him in her mouth. She curled her tongue around his shaft, putting just enough pressure inside her mouth that his eyes rolled back and he dropped his head against the back of his seat. This was verging on unbearable, what they were doing to him, but it was so, so good. Daisy pulled up a little, focusing mostly on the tip of him now, doing things with her tongue that had him whimpering again. With more room to move, Coulson began stroking him again, with more determination this time, his lips returning to Jeff's mouth, half in an effort to stifle the noise he was making.

Jeff squirmed even more, feeling it building up inside of him. As quickly as he'd become aroused, he was surprised and mildly anxious that it was only increasing more and more - they were in his _office_ , they could get _caught_  - but fuck those thoughts just made it even worse. Even better. He grunted, and Coulson stopped kissing him to whisper words of encouragement. Daisy's fingers pressed up beneath Jeff's balls and he legitimately thought he went blind for a moment.

"Ah, fuck!" He gasped, his muscles twitching with the power of his orgasm. "Fuck, fuck," He continued to groan, his hips rising up from the chair for a moment, before falling back down. Daisy moved in stride, keeping her mouth on him, making sure he didn't make a mess all over his desk. Eventually, she released him, turning to spit into the trash can beneath his desk, and the last bit of his come rolled over Coulson's hand.

Jeff didn't see all of this, of course - he wasn't sure he was physically able to open his eyes, as he gasped for breath, his cock still twitching even as he was completely spent. When he did manage to blink his eyes open, it was to find Coulson licking his hand clean, his eyes pointed toward Daisy. Jeff stared transfixed, open-mouthed, completely boneless but still appreciating the image.

"That was fucking hot." Daisy informed them seriously, and Coulson's nod in agreement was just as serious, his eyes boring into Daisy's. Jeff was still trying to catch his breath by the time Coulson had Daisy's pants down around her ankles and her ass atop Jeff's desk, thrusting into her with the sheer focus of getting her off. They both came soon enough, grunting against each other's necks, apparently just as turned on as Jeff had been.

"Fuck." Jeff sighed appreciatively, dropping his head back against his chair again. Coulson collapsed slightly against Daisy, the two of them holding one another up while they quickly caught their breaths.

Daisy laughed lightly, reaching one hand down where she could touch Jeff's knee, squeezing as she also trailed her other hand through the back of Coulson's hair.

"Okay, okay," She hid her smile against Coulson's shoulder for a second, "Maybe we shouldn't have licked Jeff's face."

Coulson's laugh mirrored hers, and eventually Jeff found himself chuckling as well, that nervous but elated laughter that sometimes would happen after surviving a dangerous op. Having sex in the Director's office could probably count as that, especially if Melinda May was anywhere nearby. She was always raising her eyebrow in their direction, the most suspicious of them by far. If she had walked in on, or even heard, any of what just happened...

"We should, uh," Jeff suggested, tucking himself back together, and they both nodded, Coulson stepping back to give Daisy enough room to hop off of the desk.

"We should do that again." Daisy told them as she buttoned her pants.

"Maybe in the bedroom next time?" Jeff croaked, warningly, and Coulson grinned as he tucked his shirt back into his jeans.

 

**< ><><><>**

 

 

Jeff jerked awake with a quiet gasp, staring wide-eyed at nothing for a moment. That dream had been… _intense_ , to say the least.

He groaned and rolled onto his back, rubbing both hands vigorously over his face as he attempted to wake up. The dream had left him aroused to the point that he couldn't ignore it as the usual “morning wood”, and he lamented that he'd slept alone in his bed last night.

While he found the licking thing to be a little weird of his subconscious, he couldn't deny the position it had left his body in. With a quiet sigh, he brushed his hands across his bare chest, closing his eyes as he imagined they were Coulson's hands touching him.

It was embarrassingly easy for him to become further aroused by the mere thought of Phil touching him, and he bit his lip as he thumbed his nipple and slipped his other hand beneath the waistband of his briefs.

Just as he circled his fingers around the tip of his cock, though, his alarm started blaring.

“Damn it.” He grumbled, removing his hands from himself and rolling over to reach for the clock, turning it off. He'd forgotten for a moment, but today was one of his earlier starts; training with Daisy in the gym.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows, and looked down at the bulge in his underwear.

Well, maybe he could sufficiently hide it until he met up with Daisy.

He smirked to himself and hopped out of bed, looking forward to the early start with a little more pep in his step than usual.

Ten minutes later, Jeff found her alone in the locker room, and took the opportunity to trap her between his body and the row of lockers.

If she had been surprised by his excitement, she was immediately receptive to it.

"Sex is not a," She gasped when he pushed into her in a particularly nice way, "suitable substitute for exercise," Her hands were carding through his hair, though, not nearly as chiding as her voice was.

Though he'd started shaving again, he had kept his hair just long enough that the curls were apparent. She had an inkling that it was because she and Coulson both kept touching it and grabbing it while they had sex, and because he also seemed to get a particular satisfaction from that.

"Hm," He accepted her words of wisdom, continuing the easy-going movement of his hips with a singular determination.

She slipped a little against the lockers and he readjusted them, the metal clanging a bit behind her, and he grimaced. There weren't any cameras in the locker room - obviously - but anyone could walk in on them at any moment, especially if they started making too much noise. They were pretty sure that May and Coulson were the only two who were up at this hour, however one of those would be a welcome interruption, and the other, very much not.

"You aren't," She was already out of breath, damn him, "getting out of the work-out, today." He stopped kissing her neck to look at her, raising his eyebrow high, as he slipped his hand down between their bodies.

"I'm not?" He challenged, whispering against her lips as he rubbed his finger against her sensitive nub. Damn but he was awfully cocky this morning. She might not necessarily know why, but his dream was still very fresh in his mind.

"Oh, fuck," Daisy exclaimed, and he kept making that face at her.

"It's not even a possibility?" He asked, shifting his hips incredibly slowly now, dragging his length in and out of her almost nonchalantly.

"Hell, don't _stop_ ," She ordered when his fingers had paused. His eyebrow twitched, and she groaned. "Fine, fine, fine, a possibility, just don't stop," She pressed her fingers hard into his shoulders, and he nodded dutifully.

"Yes, ma'am," He purred into her ear, and she could feel his smile of triumph, damn him, but his fingers were really working on her now and she couldn't be mad about it. She bit her lip to silence the whimper as she felt her orgasm fast approaching, but all of a sudden Jeff completely froze, his entire body tensing against hers.

"Oh, come _on_ ," She started to whine.

"Don't stop on my account," Coulson's voice interrupted her, and she opened her eyes to follow Jeff's gaze toward the door.

Coulson was slipping into the room, a grin on his face like the cat that caught the canary. Which, sort of actually applicable here. The snick of the lock was loud in the suddenly silent room, save for her and Jeff's heavy breathing. Jeff's cock twitched inside of her, and she moaned quietly. Neither of them moved, still, as Coulson leaned back against the closed door and casually folded his arms across his chest.

"Don't worry about me," He said in that same nonchalant tone of voice, looking more than comfortable where he was. Jeff groaned and put his other hand against the lockers by her head, dropping his face into her shoulder. Just Coulson's presence in the room was almost unbearable, and both of them were marginally concerned that even one slight shift would bring them both over the edge, and effectively end the show that Coulson was so clearly interested in.

"I'm not gonna last much longer," Jeff admitted, and Daisy nodded in agreement.

"C'mon, we'll make it up to him. Besides," She turned her head toward Coulson again, "he did get quite the show the other night, anyway." She narrowed her eyes, and Coulson lifted his eyebrows innocently. His grin was anything but, though. He liked watching, and he was very open with them about it.

Jeff thrust his hips again and Coulson's eyes darkened, and Daisy resisted the urge to close hers, instead watching Coulson while Jeff's hand shifted from her hip back to the juncture of her legs.

Coulson's mouth parted when Daisy's breath stuttered, and then she came just before Jeff did, both of them gritting their teeth in an effort to be quiet, both of them only marginally succeeding.

Coulson stayed where he was, and Daisy took her eyes off of him for a moment to face Jeff, kissing him slowly and deeply, humming her pleasure. He smiled against her lips, moving his hands to her hips to help her settle back onto her feet, gingerly pulling out of her. When Daisy looked back toward Coulson, his hand was at the front of his trousers, fingers curled against the front in a very obvious manner. She couldn't see his erection from the distance and the shadows in the darkened room, but she had a pretty good memory.

She smirked, and glanced toward Jeff. He grinned back, and they both turned toward Coulson, who released a rushed breath of air when he caught the expressions on their faces.

 

**< ><><><>**

 

 

Finished with her morning routine, May strolled down the hall, headed toward her quarters for a shower and to get ready for the rest of the day. She neared the locker room just as Daisy was stepping out of it, saying behind her,

"You're still not getting out of gym time, today. Come on," May hesitated, and watched Mace step out of the room after her. And then Coulson.

May stared at them, and Coulson stared back at her, and he said to Mace and Daisy,

"Thanks for your input. I'll see what I can do."

Mace and Daisy, who had been looking at one another, first looked toward him and then toward May, only just now noticing her.

"No problem," Daisy then said to Coulson with a wry grin. Jeff rotated his jaw, and nodded in agreement with Daisy.

"See you later, Phil," Jeff said, clasping Coulson's shoulder for a moment before heading toward May; toward the gym.

"Yeah, see you later, Phil," Daisy added cheekily, walking rather proudly after Mace. They both nodded and murmured good morning's to May as they passed, but said nothing else and continued on.

May watched after them for a moment as they teasingly pushed at one another, and then turned back toward Coulson.

"I've got some planning to do," Coulson told her, turning and heading further into the base without waiting for May to reply.

May really didn't want to think about it too much, but she was eighty percent sure Coulson's fly had been down. Maybe ninety percent sure.

She shook her head, telling herself that there was no way it could have been, it was probably just a trick of the lighting in the hall. She hesitated when passing the open door of the locker room, though, and glanced inside. Nothing seemed amiss, and she shook her head at herself again before continuing toward her quarters.

 

**< ><><><>**

 

 

"Have you ever... just thought something odd was going on?" May asked Elena, who was listening very seriously. While they were friendly, May didn't always chat with her outside of SHIELD stuff, so this must be important.

"With Coulson and Daisy? Something odd is always going on," Elena replied cryptically, rolling her eyes, though she had a fond grin on her face.

"What about Mace, though? What are your thoughts, there?" May pressed, and Elena furrowed her brow.

"The Director? And Daisy? Well... I know you know they used to have sex." Elena said, and May shook her head.

"And Coulson."

"The Director and Coulson?" Elena grinned widely, "Oh yes, there are definitely some _hot_  looks going on there," May closed her eyes for a moment, not quite believing that she was saying this,

"The Director, and Coulson, _and_  Daisy." Elena stared at her for a moment, her eyes widening in recognition.

"Ohhh."

"So?"

"Well... I did just see them all in the lounge. Shall we go spy?" Elena asked excitedly, practically bouncing on her toes, and May narrowed her eyes.

"Quietly. And!" May grabbed her arm before she could speed away, "Slowly." Elena's face fell and she rolled her eyes, but nodded, and the two of them approached the lounge, standing just out of sight in the hall. They could hear Coulson, Mace, and Daisy chatting inside.

"Okay, we got this, go faster!" Mace ordered.

"Alriiiight," Daisy replied, as if she didn't agree with his assessment.

"No, at the same time," Coulson said.

"I don't know if I can, okay hold on, sit next to each other, like - yeah. Okay, ready?" Daisy asked, and both guys replied the affirmative.

May glanced toward Elena, who's eyebrows were nearly up to her hairline. Her mouth was open as she listened, but she stayed quiet, and May focused back on the room.

"Ha!" Jeff crowed, which made May and Elena frown for a moment, but then Coulson fussed,

"Damn that almost got in my eye!"

"Stop whining. Do you want me to keep going, or not?" Daisy asked them, and they both quickly replied at the same time,

"Yeah!"

Grimacing, May couldn't keep listening in on this. She couldn't _believe_  they were - in the middle of the day - in the _common area_ , no less-

"Dios mio," Elena breathed, staring wide-eyed at May. Then she grinned widely, and before May could do or say anything, she hurried (at human speed, mostly) around the corner and into the room. May followed immediately-

-just in time to catch Jeff snatch a grape out of the middle of the air with his mouth.

Another one hit Coulson in his chin, but he didn't react to it, staring at May and Elena sheepishly as if he'd just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Jeff grinned as he chewed his grape, but then he noticed May and Elena, and his smile slowly dropped into something that almost mirrored Coulson's expression. Daisy, who's back was to them, turned quickly, revealing a bowl in her hand.

"Oh. Uh, hey," Daisy's face fell for a moment before it brightened with an overly-innocent look.

"What... are… you doing?" May asked slowly, relieved that it hadn't been what it _sounded_  like they'd been doing, but all the more confused.

"And why does it not look as sexy as it sounded?" Elena demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

Jeff choked as he was swallowing the grape, and Coulson smacked him hard between his shoulder blades a couple times, freeing the lodged food from his throat.

"We're, uh," Daisy looked embarrassed, now, and set the bowl on top of the table. "Taking a break. We've been up all night working on that addendum for the Accords. I guess we, heh, got a little slap-happy."

Coulson frowned at May.

"I was winning." He told her, put-out by her interruption to their game. May looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"You were not!" Jeff protested, turning toward him indignantly.

"I was," Coulson argued, pointing around Jeff's seat, "look at all them on the floor by you!"

"Half of those are yours, they just rolled over here!"

"Dios mio." Elena said again, very dryly this time, with a roll of her eyes. "You're right," She said to May, "very odd." She shook her head and left the room, and May turned back toward the other three.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them all, until May finally said,

"Clean up your mess. And maybe take a nap." She quirked her eyebrow at them slightly before turning and leaving the room. "I need a drink." She muttered.

"What, did they think I was jacking you off or something? In here?" Daisy wondered, still within earshot. She laughed, and continued, "Obviously I wouldn't do that in _here_ , that's just stupid,"

May froze and stared at a random spot on the wall of the corridor, her eye twitching just slightly.

"Daisy!" Coulson hissed, chidingly, and while Jeff chuckled, he also admonished her,

"Lets keep the sexual jokes to a minimum, shall we?"

May needed a very large drink. Screw Agent Hill - she was done ‘looking after’ these guys. She didn't _want_  to know.

 

**< ><><><>**

 

 

Weeks past before the three of them could find some time to hang out together, and while Jeff craved the simple down-time of cuddles and snacks and movies, his body was craving a hell of a lot more.

He eventually just thought “to hell with it” and threw together rather half-asses plans, merely because of the shirt Coulson happened to be wearing that day. It was well-worn and incredibly soft; Jeff's own fingers were quite familiar with it. And he'd been itching to touch it all morning.

“We’re going to The Retreat.” He announced to Coulson and Daisy, in his office, just before lunch time. They shared a mildly worried look.

“Why?” Daisy asked, thinking of the Framework. None of them had been to the cabin since returning to the real world; they'd been avoiding it, in fact. Jeff had taken this into account and figured he could deal with a few problems all at once.

“When?” Coulson wondered, closing the window he'd had open on the large viewing screen. This announcement was pretty random considering they'd just been discussing the possibility of Joey Gutierrez rejoining the organization.

“We’re leaving in an hour,” Jeff replied, straightening the files on his desk and ignoring the look that Coulson and Daisy briefly shared. “I told May to keep an eye on things here and keep me updated in the meantime.”

“And she just… agreed?” Daisy wondered incredulously. Coulson stepped closer to Jeff's desk, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“She didn't question me, and I didn't feel the need to give her details.” Jeff replied a bit dryly, looking up at Daisy.

“Don't get me wrong,” Daisy told him, “I've missed our movie nights, and I would _kill_  to actually be able to sit down and have dinner with the both of you at the same time, but… this seems a bit… hectic.”

They usually spent a lot more time planning these things out, so as to not draw attention from anyone.

“I don't care,” Jeff shrugged. “If someone has questions then they can ask.”

“And what would you tell them?” Coulson asked. “That the Director of SHIELD and the face of an entire movement is in a polyamorous relationship and it's none of their business?”

“It _is_  none of their business.” Jeff pointed out, and Coulson gave him a look.

“Jeff, you're a public figure.”

“I haven't forgotten.”

“Quite a lot of people in this world don't understand these kinds of things; they have assumptions,” Daisy began, and Jeff groaned and rounded the desk, grasping her shoulders gently.

“They can shove their assumptions. I don't _care_. I love you,” He looked at Coulson, “Both of you, and if I want to spend some fucking time with you, then I will.”

“Or some time fucking?” Coulson said knowingly, and Jeff's lip twitched and he shrugged.

“I've missed _that_ , too.” Daisy admitted quietly, and Coulson chuckled softly, shaking his head as he moved closer and rested his palm low against Jeff's back.

“We’re all frustrated,” Coulson acknowledged, “but that doesn't mean we get messy about this. I know for a fact that May thinks something is going on,”

“And if she didn't approve of it, don't you think she would have said something by now?” Jeff pointed out. “This is Melinda we’re talking about - she's never been quiet about speaking her mind.”

“Maybe she doesn't know what to say?” Daisy mused.

“What about everyone else?” Coulson pointed out. “The other agents, the rest of the team. We need a reason to tell them why three of the highest people on the chain of command are all leaving the base at the same time,”

“Well, that part I've got covered.” Jeff promised. “Tell them it's for my own personal healing.”

Daisy snorted.

“Because _that_  doesn't sound sexual at all,”

“Everyone is aware about my PTSD.” Jeff said bluntly, and Daisy and Coulson glanced at one another again. “And I'm well aware how we've been avoiding the cabin, pretending that it doesn't exist. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that you two have been trying to protect me in that sense, but… I need to go there. I need to _see_  it, walk in it, prove to myself that it's a real place and it doesn't have to be a dangerous place.”

“Are you sure,” Coulson asked softly, and Jeff nodded, shifting one of his hands onto Coulson’s shoulder.

“Absolutely. I…” Jeff hesitated now; there were a few things he hadn't shared with them yet. “You know that I still have nightmares, sometimes. Well… some of them involve the cabin. Events that didn't actually happen while we were there, but could have.” Jeff took a deep breath, and Daisy reached to grasp his hand that was on her shoulder, holding it tightly within her own. “The specifics vary, but there’s always death. And blood; so much blood - a ridiculous amount, really, but it doesn’t matter to my brain.” He grimaced as he looked into the space between Daisy and Coulson. “All I can think of, smell, _taste_ , is that sickly-sweet copper smell of blood.”

“Hey,” Daisy called firmly, gripping his hand even tighter, pulling him back into focus and away from the nightmares. “None of that is real.”

“And that’s why I need to go there. I need to face it. Preferably _with_  you two there with me.” Jeff told them levelly. Coulson nodded knowingly.

“I get it.” He murmured, thinking of the Tahiti project.

Jeff inhaled deeply for a moment, and settled his shoulders, using the chi method for relaxation until he wasn’t thinking about the bad thoughts anymore.

“Plus,” He grinned a little, trying to lighten the mood again. “You know what they say about sexual healing.”

“I’m not sure this is quite what Marvin Gaye was talking about,” Coulson teased, leaning forward to brush his nose against Jeff’s cheekbone for a moment before pressing a soft kiss against his cheek.

“This is more than just about getting us all naked together,” Daisy murmured, stroking her finger across Jeff’s knuckles now.

“It’s a lot about that,” Jeff butted in, giving Coulson a lewd look that made the other man blurt out a laugh.

“This is about you managing your health.” Daisy pressed, and at Jeff’s smirk, she rolled her eyes, “ _Not_  talking about Marvin Gaye, here. You’re mental health is just as important - hell, the most important - just, don’t ever feel like you can’t talk to us, you know? If you ever need to. You can be open with us about that. It isn’t a burden.”

She glanced at Coulson and he immediately nodded in agreement.

“Nothing about you is ever a burden to us, Jeffrey.” Coulson assured him, and Jeff pressed his lips together as the sudden swell of emotion filled him.

They knew him even better than he’d thought.

He pulled them both against him, kissing their foreheads in turn before he tilted his head to lean his against theirs.

“Alright.” He sighed after they all breathed together for a moment.

They pulled apart carefully, all of them glancing toward the open door they’d forgotten about. They were still alone, but even so, they stepped apart further to put some more space between them.

“There _are_  multiple reasons why I want to do this.” Jeff admitted. “But I’ll admit I was a little hasty with the planning because of my…”

“Dick?”

“Frustration?” Coulson and Daisy spoke at the same time. Coulson gave Daisy a look at her brashness, but she shrugged as Jeff snorted.

“Yeah.” Jeff agreed. He paused, and then told them, “We’re still leaving in,” He glanced at his watch, “Forty-five minutes now. You should pack.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is clearly my "let's practice writing my OT3 smut". I swear that there's legit bonding happening in this chapter, too. But overall this one's definitely not for reading while at work...

They borrowed a QuinJet, that Daisy flew, while Coulson and Jeff spoke quietly in the back. There wasn’t really enough room for all three of them to hang out comfortably in the cockpit, and anyway, Daisy didn’t mind the quietness. Every now and then she would pick up on the tone of their voices, and the familiarity filled her with peaceful fondness.

She was mildly anxious about returning to the Retreat - the actual, real-world cabin - because while she’d briefly used it during her ‘rogue months’, she hadn’t been there with any other person since before discovering Afterlife.

Plus, she knew from her own experience, that Jeffrey was using his physical desires to cover up his emotional ones, and she wanted to figure out how to help him deal with it all as healthily as possible.

While there _were_  legitimate benefits of oxytocin, sex wasn’t a magical mystery drug that the movies always portrayed it to be. Even the _best_  sex.

The guys’ soft laughter drifted into the cockpit, and Daisy smiled. Regardless of anything else, simply being around them  _was_  soothing.

**< ><><><>  
**

 

“Can I ask you a question?” Daisy murmured as they sat together on the porch steps, drinking their beer and gazing at the stars.

“Of course,” Jeff replied, his head still tilted back against her stomach. He was sitting on the step just below hers, nestled between her legs. One of his arms was curled around the back of her left leg, and he leisurely stroked his thumb against her knee.

“Why… why are your nightmares here?” She asked carefully. “Instead of at the base, or one of the hotel rooms?”

His thumb stopped moving, though his hand still rested against her skin. He was quiet for a long moment, and she was about to apologize, when he finally spoke.

“My favourite Framework memory was here.” He answered quietly. “That night I drank entirely too much tequila?”

“We all did,” Daisy smiled at the memory.

“Yeah.” He paused for a beat. “We were completely relaxed. Goofing off, joking, playfully flirting…”

“I don't remember flirting,” Daisy protested, and he snorted and rolled his eyes, tilting his chin up so he could look at her upside down.

“There was definitely flirting. And we…” He sobered slightly. “That was the first time we slept together.”

“Literally,” Daisy pointed out, “all we did was sleep.”

“And it was fantastic.” Jeff argued. “Even waking up with the worst hangover of my life, the fact that we woke up and we weren't… it felt _normal_ , even then. I decided then and there that I wouldn't mind waking up between the two of you every day for the rest of my life.”

Daisy stared down at him for a moment, speechless.

“You knew that, _then_?” She wondered, and he shrugged and nodded as if it wasn't a big deal.

Daisy set her beer to the side and grasped his head between her hands, curling over him to kiss him. It was weird, upside down, but Jeff blindly set his bottle on the step and tightened his grip on her knee, kissing her back.

“Hey,” Coulson protested lightheartedly from behind them, “I leave for a minute to go pee and you two start kissing without me?”

The other two smiled against one another's lips before parting, and Jeff gave Daisy a coy look.

“I have an idea… and it involves less clothing.” He told her, quietly enough that Coulson couldn't hear even as he approached them.

Daisy jokingly gaped at Jeff for a moment before grinning.

“You want to remind your subconscious about some happy memories here, huh?” She mused, and his gaze darkened as he twisted around on the step so he could face her directly.

“I want to overwhelm it.” He replied, his tone sending warm shivers down her spine.

“So have any more details about this idea of yours?” She wondered, as they both got to their feet and faced Coulson.

“Oh, a few,” He replied casually, looking Coulson up and down as the man hesitated.

“A few what?” Coulson wondered, having only heard the last part of their conversation.

Daisy and Jeff grinned at one another before they both walked up the steps toward Coulson.

The next thing Coulson knew, Jeff was sliding his hands up underneath his t-shirt and giving him an open-mouthed kiss, walking him backwards into the cabin.

Daisy smirked as she grabbed their forgotten beers, leisurely following after them as she watched. Coulson was definitely surprised, at first, but soon enough he wrapped his arms around Jeff's shoulders, his own bottle half-forgotten between his fingers. Daisy snagged it before he dropped it, and set all three on the counter as Jeff and Coulson bumped into the table.

Jeff's hands were all over Coulson beneath the shirt, mapping out every inch of his skin as if he wasn't already familiar. Coulson hummed and grabbed at Jeff's shirt, wanting to pull it off. Jeff obligingly released Coulson just long enough to do so, smirking over at Daisy and tossing his shirt at her playfully.

She caught it laughing, and threw it back. It landed on Coulson and he brushed it away, forgotten already, as he returned to kissing Jeff as soon as possible.

Coulson worked his jaw and Jeff made a rumbling noise deep in his throat. He was still wearing his sweatpants, and they did not hide the fact that he was going commando, and that he was aroused. Coulson's shorts didn't hide anything, either, and Daisy leaned back against the counter as she watched them making out, casually tugging off her sweatshirt.

Coulson dragged his mouth away from Jeff as he watched her, discovering that she wasn't wearing a shirt beneath it, and she grinned at him.

Jeff glanced over his shoulder at her, noticing as well, and smirked.

“You didn't tell me about that,” Jeff drawled, holding his hand out to beckon her closer.

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” She joked, joining them, and Jeff slipped his hand against her back and kissed her deeply. Daisy noticed from the corner of her eye Coulson lick his lip, and while Jeff was distracted he kissed the man's neck, slowly moving lower until he was mouthing his chest.

Jeff sucked in a breath when Coulson swiped his tongue against his nipple, and then with no warning he turned his head and did the same to Daisy.

She jumped, tightly gripping Coulson's hand against Jeff's back, and moaned when Coulson began alternating his attention between the two of them. Daisy shifted her hips against Jeff's thigh, and Jeff slid his hand down her back to curl his fingers around her ass, tugging her more firmly against him as he shifted his leg.

Coulson gently turned Jeff to face her before he slid his palms flat across Jeff’s chest and stomach, tugging the man back against his front.

Jeff grunted and closed his eyes, smiling a little distractedly even as he turned Daisy with him, guiding her hips more directly aligned with his.

Coulson slowly rolled his hips, firmly enough that Jeff's hardening bulge pressed enticingly against Daisy's center.

They moved their bodies together slowly in an almost sort of dance, none of them rushing anything, allowing their arousal to build slowly.

Well, as slowly as was possible. It was always a bit overwhelming when all three of them were together, and a part of that was because it couldn't happen as often as they all liked.

“Bed,” Jeff growled after Daisy had released his tongue and Coulson had stopped nipping at the back of his neck. Daisy could feel that he was fully hard, now, and imagined Coulson was as well, the way Jeff kept rolling his ass back against Coulson's pelvis.

They managed to stumble their way into the bedroom, Daisy watching close behind as the guys couldn't keep off of one another as they bumped into the wall a few times.

“Damn, that's still hot,” She sighed, watching Coulson's tongue dart into Jeff's mouth.

They stopped in the middle of the room, hands in each other's hair as they made out, and Daisy took the opportunity to slide a warning hand over Jeff's hips before grasping the waist of his sweatpants and tugging them down to his ankles. Jeff chuckled against Coulson's mouth and stepped out of the bundled fabric, pushing at Coulson's shorts himself. Coulson took the moment to peel his tee-shirt off and then they were both naked, staring at one another as they breathed heavily.

Then they both looked at Daisy.

She swallowed, warmth immediately flooding her at their gazes.

“You're the only one not naked, Daisy.” Coulson pointed out with a smirk, and before he could think of some kind of penalty for her to pay, she cheekily replied,

“I guess that officially settles it. _I'm_  the pants in this relationship.”

Jeff snorted and laughed, his body brushing against Coulson's, and Coulson momentarily forgot about Daisy's comment as his lips parted. He looked down at Jeff's cock as if it had never touched his before - which Daisy knew very well that it had.

Smirking at Coulson now, Jeff leaned forward and thrust his hips again, on purpose this time, rubbing the underside of his length against Coulson's.

“Fuck, alright, you don't need to make such a big deal out of it,” Daisy breathed out, quickly shucking her sleep shorts and underwear as the guys ground their hips together.

Both of them were caught up staring at themselves, especially once Jeff wrapped his hand around the both of them at once, and didn't notice Daisy digging through Jeff's bag, not until she sidled next to him and slipped something into his hand free hand.

Jeff recognized the bottle of lube immediately and paused, much to Coulson’s protest, at least until Coulson lifted his eyes to look at the interruption. They shared a look, silently communicating between themselves, and Jeff pushed the bottle against Coulson’s chest.

Then he grinned widely at them and slipped around Coulson, hopping onto the bed and settling against the pillows, even going so far as to fold his arms behind his head.

He’d almost look relaxed, if it weren’t for his flushed skin and his raging erection.

Daisy raised her eyebrow at the prone man, putting a hand on her hip.

“What, you want a show, now?” She snarked, pretending to disagree with the idea (she never disagreed with any variation of a show between the three of them).

“If it’s all the same to you guys,” Jeff admitted, “I’d actually like the both of you to get your asses onto this bed.”

“Someone’s impatient.” Coulson mused to Daisy, although he was obviously as aroused as Jeff was.

“Hmm,” Daisy mused, trailing her fingers down Coulson’s chest as she looked down at Jeff. Jeff pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he watched them. She stood close enough to Coulson that their bodies brushed together tantalizingly without any pressure, and tilted her chin up, requesting a kiss.

Coulson easily obliged, licking his way into her mouth and working his tongue until she moaned.

“Fuck, you guys,” Jeff moaned, and Daisy turned her head toward him to find him slowly fisting himself. Coulson started kissing her neck, his free hand sliding down her body.

“I’m more than ready, trust me,” Daisy murmured, moving his hand away from between her legs before he made her come. “Let’s help Mr. Impatient over there, huh?”

It took him a minute to pull away from her, but he eventually did, and they both climbed onto the bed then, on either side of Jeff, and Jeff’s muscles tensed in anticipation. He let go of his cock so he could reach toward the both of them, and Daisy moved forward to kiss his mouth while Coulson made sure his chest and stomach received equal attention.

“You want to only remember good thoughts about this place?” Daisy questioned between peppering kisses against his mouth, and Jeff nodded quickly, not wanting to speak himself so he had more time with his lips on hers. Daisy shifted her mouth along his jaw and neck for a moment, glancing down toward Coulson. “I think we can help with that.”

Coulson winked at her, before spreading the flat of his tongue against Jeff’s cock, trapping it between his own abdomen and Coulson’s mouth.

Jeff’s hips twitched and he hissed, unable to see through Daisy to anticipate Coulson’s action, and Daisy began slowly making out with him again as she watched Coulson squeeze some of the lube into his palm and rub his hands together.

Eventually she and Coulson worked him up enough that he was begging for the both of them, his hands grasping ineffectually at the sheets. It took a minute to figure out how they could both do this at the same time, but once Coulson settled himself inside of Jeff, Daisy carefully straddled overtop Jeff’s hips, her back to Coulson.

Jeff moaned loudly, something like a desperate laugh escaping his lips as he pressed his arm over his eyes.

“You alright up there?” Coulson grunted, rolling his hips, and Daisy and Jeff both gasped. Coulson wrapped his hands around Daisy’s waist, and Jeff tightened his legs around Coulson’s.

Daisy ground her hips down in steady rhythm, and Coulson thrust in counterpoint to her; they could both feel Jeff’s orgasm approaching, the telltale tightening of his muscles, but Jeff himself was absolutely wrecked and unable to form anything coherent.

“You're so gorgeous,” Coulson growled to both of them, pulling his mouth away from Daisy’s shoulder, wanting to see Jeff’s face more clearly.

“Hmm,” Daisy hummed agreeably, leaning over to kiss Jeff. She splayed her hand across his chest again, thumbing his nipple, and his mouth dropped open in a wide, silent gape against hers, every muscle in his body tensing and releasing as he came. Coulson pressed in, rocking his hips and nudging Jeff’s prostate, and Jeff keened loudly, releasing long, low groans every time his cock spasmed.

“Fuck - fuck, fuck,” Jeff moaned, unable to keep his eyes open as he let the feeling wash over him.

Once he was spent Daisy and Coulson both shifted off of Jeff, knowing that he was probably fairly sensitive as he lay there as unmoving as he could be after being more or less fucked into the mattress. His stomach heaved as he tried to catch his breath, and his hips still writhed a little against the sheets.

“Damn,” Daisy managed, a bit mind-blown herself, although her body still ached and craved it’s own release. She watched Jeff’s face lovingly as he came down from his high, his eyes still closed as he gasped for air. “That was,” She looked at Coulson, not finding the words.

“Daisy,” He growled deeply, his brow furrowed and his eyes all dark with arousal. She immediately realized he hadn’t come either, and reached her hand out to him, pulling him further up onto the bed with her next to Jeff. His cock was stiff and leaking, but she only managed a brief glimpse before he guided her onto her front, laying her next to Jeff who still hadn't said anything.

Understanding what Coulson wanted, and anxious for the prospect herself, she rested low on her elbows, her knees bent beneath her so that Coulson could kneel and enter her from behind. Something about the way he brushed against her folds at this angle always had her coming rather forcefully, and she also knew how much he enjoyed laying kisses along her back.

She turned her head to look at Jeff, finding him watching with dazed eyes, his chest not quite heaving so much anymore. He smiled a sloppy grin, and huffed out a laugh, and released a long groaning sigh as he stretched out his limbs and finally completely relaxed.

“Pretty sure I can't move.” Jeff admitted, tilting his chin down so he could look at Coulson without actually lifting his head. His voice was raw and gravely and sent a shot of heat down Daisy's spine.

Coulson trailed his hand along her back, as if he knew what Jeff’s voice had done to her, and he did; it had done the same thing to him.

He brushed the head of his cock against her, a little bit of a warning before he buried himself inside her, until his pelvis was pressing against her ass.

“Hell, just fuck me, Coulson,” Daisy moaned, “I'm so close already,” She didn’t need him taking his time at this point.

Jeff whined quietly, still turned on by them even if his body was completely spent.

Coulson curled his hands around her hips and held her as he thrust into her, and very quickly she was rasping out a moan, her throat catching for a moment at the power of it. Coulson followed her, his pace stuttering as he rode out his own orgasm.

Her arms shook with exertion and she settled fully onto her chest, needing the rest. Coulson collapsed on top of her, gingerly helping her stretch her legs out in a way that kept his cock nestled within her warmth, at least until he softened enough to slip out of her.

Jeff’s hand slipped into hers, and she opened her eyes again, finding him looking at her lovingly. She squeezed his hand gently and laughed a little, exhausted. Coulson seemed so, as well, and simply draped his arm over Jeff’s abdomen, resting his cheek against the back of Daisy's shoulder. She liked the solid weight of him resting so comfortably on top of her, and she dozed there, all of them a mess and the whole room smelling of sex.

 

 

“Definitely _way_  better than the Framework cabin.” Jeff said sometime later, and Coulson shook with quiet laughter, finally carefully rolling off of Daisy and over Jeff, flopping with a heavy sigh by Jeff’s right side. Daisy snuggled in to his left, pillowing her head against his shoulder.

“Sufficiently overwhelmed?” She asked, and Jeff curled his arm around her so he could thread his fingers through her hair.

“Definitely.” He smiled widely, pressing a kiss against the top of her head before facing Coulson, giving the man a deep and lingering kiss as well. The endorphins were temporary, they all knew, but at the very least, Jeff had more good memories of this place.

Coulson smiled against his mouth before resting back, sharing the pillow with Jeff as they both stared up at the ceiling. Coulson slipped his hand into Jeff’s and carded their fingers together, sighing quietly as they all relaxed in one another’s warmth.

**  
<><><><>**

 

They stayed at the cabin for a few days, sometimes not even bothering with clothing; someone often ended up with their hand down someone else’s pants while cooking dinner, or playing board games, or lounging outside.

Daisy would never look at a single piece of furniture in this place the same again.

That was where Coulson ate her out, while Jeff watched curiously (he claimed it was a teaching experience - Daisy certainly didn’t hate being the guinea pig when Coulson’s mouth was involved).

That was where the guys had given one another blow jobs, and Daisy had touched herself while she watched.

That was where Daisy had jokingly given Jeff a lap dance, until it had turned into a very real one, while Jeff gave Coulson a hand job.

It wasn’t just sex on every surface, either. The new couch that had been procured would forever be the perfect cuddling spot to her; Jeff on his back, Daisy back against him, Coulson lying on his front atop her.

Coulson called it a Daisy sandwich and she couldn’t fuss at his turn of phrase. They joked about needing to find a Jeff sandwich, since that was the only one missing, but they _were_  all (mostly) human, and they couldn’t spend the _entire_  time doing literally nothing but sex.

Daisy persuaded Jeff to join her for morning Tai Chi, standing out by the lake as the sun rose, and sometimes Coulson joined them.

They took walks around the lake and paths through the woods, and eventually Daisy even took them toward the rough clearing where she’d discovered some extent of her powers. Coulson had been surprised to see the damage, as well; he’d only heard tale about it. Jeff appreciated that she shared her own history of emotional and mental struggles with him, having not been aware of her time at The Retreat at all.

They spent two weeks there in all, and it was refreshing for all three of them. By the time they were packing up and heading back to HQ, Jeff was confident that, while he still would probably have nightmares plague him from time to time, they wouldn’t be such dark ones about this place.

Daisy’s reservations about The Retreat had been minimal but were now gone entirely, and she was no longer so worried about how Jeff was handling himself.

Coulson had never had issues with the cabin itself, but he was far more relaxed in general, and didn’t seem to worry about their relationship nearly as much as he had been. While he still wanted to keep it a secret, he knew the world wouldn’t end if the rest of the team found out about it.

And he found he didn’t really care, either. He would hand back his badge if it meant keeping Daisy and Jeff close by. He doubted it would come to that, but the sentiment was still there.

The feeling only intensified as he watched the two goof off while Daisy flew the QuinJet back to base; Jeff kept asking her what every little button and switch did, sometimes pretending to try and hit one, occasionally pulling a laugh from Daisy and occasionally an affectionate curse.

Coulson loved them with a fierceness that scared him a little bit.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter deals with some side effects of trauma. There is discussion of a panic attack, though I've tried to keep it as vague as possible and from the point of view of the caretaker. However, I also feel very strongly about mental health and feel that the tough things shouldn't be shied away from. It's important to talk about it, so that is why I decided not to edit the scene too much. That said, please tread softly should any description at all of a panic attack be a trigger for you.

Coulson sat in his office, staring at his ringing phone for a few long seconds. The caller ID told him who was calling, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to answer it or not.

He released a quiet sigh as he picked up the receiver.

“Dr. Shaw?” He greeted questioningly, leaning back in his chair as he tucked the phone against his ear.

“Agent Coulson! How are you?” The man responded warmly. Coulson was suspicious about the doctor’s intentions, but he answered honestly.

“I’m doing well. Better than ever, I’d say.”

“Excellent. That’s very good to hear,” and Coulson believed Dr. Shaw was being sincere, “And how are Daisy and Jeff?” Dr. Shaw wondered, just as casually. Coulson hesitated for a moment.

“They're good…” Coulson answered slowly.

“Jeffrey and I still talk, twice a week.” Dr. Shaw explained. “He's told me about the three of you. Your… arrangement.”

Coulson tensed, but Dr. Shaw continued on,

“He cares about you two a great deal. You're extremely important to him.”

“He's important to me, too. It’s not just ‘an arrangement’,” Coulson informed the doctor, and he chuckled lightly.

“I know.”

“What is this about?” Coulson wasn't quite sure why he felt so defensive; the other man hadn't accused him of anything, nor did he sound disapproving in any way.

“I have dealt with various iterations of PTSD over the years. Each person is different, each case is different. But in my experience, there are a few commonalities - these people are trying to find their purpose. Post-deployment, back home, suddenly their services are no longer needed - but they are still engrained with the desire to protect what is theirs, to provide for what is theirs.” Dr. Shaw primarily worked with the military, so Coulson understood that speaking of deployment was simply habit for him.

“Jeffrey’s worked through that, though. Hasn’t he?” Coulson started to worry a little. “He’s in the gym almost every morning, still, and picked up Tai Chi with Daisy. And I know you only cleared him for duty as Director after he’d shown significant improvement.”

“Of course, yes - what I mean to do here, Phil, is thank you.” Dr. Shaw replied sincerely, and Coulson relaxed. “Thank you for your help in guiding him toward finding his purpose. For supporting him. For sticking with him.”

“I don’t plan on stopping that anytime soon,” Coulson said.

“I know that about you, Phil. You never give up on those important to you.” Dr. Shaw sounded like he was pleased, and Coulson wasn’t sure if he liked being evaluated, considering his own sessions with the doctor had ended months ago. “Honestly, I was only ever pleased once Jeffrey revealed to me how important you were to him. Because I immediately knew that the feeling was reciprocated, by you. And Jeffrey needed that. He still needs that.”

“Like I said,”

“Yes, Agent Coulson.” Dr. Shaw soothed, and Coulson stopped his defensive tone. “I just wanted to check in on you, as well. Being the support for someone suffering from post-traumatic stress can be difficult in it’s own right. I’m offering an ear, that is all. I’m not asking for any payment, and I’m not asking you to schedule appointments with me - only that if you ever have a question, or a concern, please don’t hesitate to call me. Anytime.”

“Is there a reason I should be concerned?” Coulson wondered why this was happening now, so many months later, and not back when it seemed Jeffrey’s struggles had been more difficult. “Has he said something in a meeting with you, recently?”

“Breathe, Phillip,” Dr. Shaw soothed again, and Coulson pursed his lips but forced himself to relax again. “No, I have no reason for extra concern as far as Jeffrey’s well-being. Like I said before, I’m thanking you. In a way,” Dr. Shaw lightened his tone a bit, joking, “you made my job a lot easier.”

“You’re welcome.” Coulson replied dryly. After a moment he added, “You know I didn’t do it alone. Daisy is - hell, she supports the _both_  of us sometimes.”

“Of course; Jeffrey talks about her just as much as he talks about you,” Dr. Shaw told him fondly, and Coulson’s heart warmed at that.

“Oh? What sorts of things does he talk about us with you, exactly?” Coulson wondered, mildly suspicious.

“Oh,” Dr. Shaw laughed, “that’s doctor-patient confidentiality.”

“Of course it is,” Coulson rolled his eyes, and smiled. “I didn’t know… I didn’t know that Jeff still sees you.” Coulson admitted carefully. He wasn’t sure how that made him feel - Jeff deserved his privacy, of course, especially something as personal as this, but on the other hand…

“Well, it’s not strictly _seeing_ ,” The other man replied, “We talk on the phone for an hour or two, a couple of times a week. Sometimes he simply tells me about his day, regardless if it had been a difficult one or not. It helps him to talk about it.”

“Why doesn’t he…” Coulson couldn’t help but ask, though he trailed off. He’d done the same thing, himself, after all - withhold talking to those he cared about because he didn’t want to burden them. “We both told him that he could talk to us. About anything.”

“I’m sure he took that very seriously,” Dr. Shaw said. “Even still, it may be his way of protecting you two from his problems. I’m a trained and licensed physician, after all - it’s my _job_  to listen to him and provide feedback. Or, sometimes, just an ear. It’s not that he doesn’t trust you, Phil - from what I’ve heard, he trusts you rather implicitly - it’s that he doesn’t want his nightmares to plague the two of you, as well.”

“I still don’t think it’s fair.” Coulson couldn’t help but mutter. He’d been over this with the doctor already, but the feeling would always be there, in the corner of his mind.

“You would prefer to bear the weight of both Tahiti _and_  the Framework?” Dr. Shaw pointed out, direct but not with any negative intent. “Everyone handles trauma differently, Phil. You know that.”

“He doesn’t deserve this. None of that had been real, none of those - well, most none of those - people had been real. It was all a program, a computer!”

“Not to him, it wasn’t. They were friends, comrades.” Dr. Shaw pointed out gently. “And aside from them, you and Daisy were very real, even in that place. And how many times did one of you get injured? Disappear for hours on end? Come close to death?”

“More than I’d like to admit.” Coulson muttered, sighing. “And life isn’t fair, I know. I just wish there was something more I could do.”

“The fact that you are there, whenever he turns to you, is more than enough. _Believe me_.” Dr. Shaw assured him.

The call ended not long after that, and Coulson spent a long time sitting quietly in his office, musing. It helped to know that what he was doing was useful for Jeff, and he was honestly glad that the doctor had called him.

Just a couple of days later, Coulson was also glad that the doctor’s words were still in the forefront of his mind, and he was glad that he and Jeff had Daisy, too.

 

**< ><><><>  
**

 

“Jeffrey,” Daisy said sharply, pressing her hand flat against Jeff’s chest, halting him in the middle of the hallway. “Don’t.”

He gritted his teeth, a silent snarl twisting his lip for a moment, but he didn’t push beyond her. Neither did he move back, though.

“Revenge isn’t going to make you feel better.” Daisy told him, never looking away from him although he’d yet to avert his eyes from their Watchdog prisoner.

“It might.” He glared.

“It isn’t going to bring any of those agents back.” She returned, her tone never losing that serious heat. If she had to use her powers on him to stop him from doing this, then she would. And Jeff knew it.

Hell, everyone who was standing in the hall knew it, and they gave them both a wide berth, though they continued watching to see what would happen. This Watchdog member had murdered six SHIELD agents and they wanted to see what their Director would do about it.

Jeff blinked, his jaw clenching, as he rocked back onto his heels and lifted his chin up slightly. His gaze finally darted over to Daisy, and she gauged him for a moment before she nodded toward the agents near the hangar door.

“Lock him up. I’ll be down to deal with him in a moment.” She ordered, and they nodded dutifully and carried their charge down toward one of the vaults, Daisy making sure to keep herself between Jeff and the group of men as they passed.

Putting him in the vault was more for their prisoner’s own safety than his danger toward the base. Jeff wasn’t the only one who wanted to see him dead at the moment.

Jeff breathed out angrily through his nose, and turned on his heel, away from her touch.

“Give us the room,” Daisy requested sternly, and any remaining agents slipped quietly away, all of them avoiding Jeff’s gaze as if they were worried he would take out his anger on them. “Jeff,”

“You’re right.” He interrupted her, not quite deflating entirely, but trying to calm down the boiling rage inside of him. “Revenge wouldn’t make me feel better. It never has.”

Daisy didn’t speak, but carefully watched him as he paced the hall.

“Radcliffe haunts me more than the deaths of my… of those programmed friends and agents of mine in the Framework.” Jeff snorted in derision at himself, and Daisy frowned.

“Whether the people themselves were fake or not, what you _felt_ , what you _experienced_ , was real. The heartbreak, the anger; that can’t be taken away.” Daisy bristled, half-angry toward him, “So don’t stand there and act like you’re _broken_  because you _feel things_ , Jeff.”

Like steam out of a tea pot, his anger slipped away, and he sighed heavily as his shoulders finally completely relaxed, and he unclenched his fists.

“I can still hear it, you know.” Jeff told her quietly, and she furrowed her brow, not following at first. Almost detached, Jeff said, “The sound his skull made, like … cracking a hammer onto concrete.” Daisy pressed her lips together and swallowed, not sure whether she should let Jeff talk it out or stop him from reliving it. “How his eye socket caved in beneath my knuckles,” Jeff frowned as he thought of a description for it. “Like, a hard boiled egg with a really thick shell.”

“Gross.” Daisy grimaced, her almost blithe reply pulling Jeff out of it, and he gave her a small, apologetic smile.

“What I did to him haunts me more than any of the things he made me see, or his creation made me live through.” Jeff huffed a non-amused sound. “What I thought was revenge was just him winning, in the end.”

“He didn’t win. And neither did AIDA.” Daisy promised, stepping forward and grasping his hands within her own. She made a point to rub her thumbs over the backs of his knuckles. “If they had won, you would’ve ignored me and everyone else here and taken that Watchdog asshole to town. But you didn’t. Because you’re still a good man, at heart. Radcliffe didn’t win.”

Jeff gave her a tiny, grateful look, and pressed his mouth against her forehead in a lingering kiss, before telling her he would head to his office.

She walked with him far enough until she reached the vaults, and gave his hand a squeeze before slipping inside the room. She hoped he really was heading for his office, or better yet, Coulson’s office, but she pushed any of her lingering worries aside as she trudged down the steps and further into the vault.

She had an interrogation to perform, and with the deaths of their agents she needed to toe the line between ‘whatever is necessary’ and ‘what is legal’. She needed to get all the information she could out of this guy, but she needed to do it without satisfying her own desires for retribution.

Breathing in and out a few times, Daisy refocused herself before approaching the cell.

 

**< ><><><>**

 

When Coulson awoke in the middle of the night and found the bed empty, he admittedly first checked the security feeds in the halls and the vault, before he ventured out of the bedroom.

The Director’s office was empty, as was the lounge, and on a whim while heading toward Daisy’s quarters, Coulson poked his head into his own office.

Jeff was sitting in the dark, alone, on the couch Coulson had stuffed into the corner of the room. He seemed to be staring off into nothingness, at least until Coulson stepped closer to the couch and got a look at his face.

He was panting, like he’d just been running, and his eyes were darting around the room as if he hadn’t noticed Coulson’s presence. Leaving a bit of space between them, Coulson immediately knelt in front of him and put his hand on his knee.

“Jeff. Jeff!”

“What?” Jeff managed after a moment, through gritted teeth.

“Look at me. Hey. Tell me where you are.” Coulson half-requested, half-ordered.

“We’re in your fucking office, where else would we be?” Jeff scoffed, but he was still breathing quickly and his hands had a death grip on the blanket that was haphazardly across his lap.

“My office. What’s it look like? What do you see?” Coulson continued, keeping his hand where it was, keeping his eyes on Jeff.

“You _know_  what you’re office —”

“Entertain me, please.”

Jeff huffed, but rotated his jaw, and his eyes finally landed on something across the room.

“There’s a,” He swallowed, his mouth dry. “Model of your car on your desk.”

“What color is it?” Coulson wondered, and Jeff scoffed again. “What color is it, Jeff?” Coulson repeated more sternly.

“It’s red. Like Lola; like the real thing. The model car is red.” Jeff sighed, giving in to what Coulson was doing, now.

“Good.” Coulson gave him a careful smile. “What else do you see?”

“There’s a…” Jeff furrowed his brow as his eyes scanned the room with more intent than before, now. “There’s a photo on the bookshelf behind your desk. Of you, and me, and Daisy.” His eyes closed, and he pressed his lips together. “It’s black and white.”

“Yeah,” Coulson mused as if he were just remembering the existence of this photo, himself. “I love that one.”

“And there’s a tie hanging on the handle of a filing cabinet. It’s red, too. Dark red.” Jeff closed his eyes again, and a couple heavy tears dropped down his cheeks. “Actually, I think that’s my tie.”

“Maybe it is,” Coulson replied cheekily, slowly letting his hand drift off of Jeff’s knee, now. He leaned back on his haunches as he looked at Jeff. The man’s hands had relaxed atop the blanket he’d been clutching, and his breathing had returned to normal.

“How did you know about that?” Jeff wondered quietly as he pushed his palm roughly against his cheek, wiping away any remnants of tears.

“I had some training, a long time ago. When I found out I would be in charge of the Avengers, they also wanted to make sure I was familiar with anxiety attacks, and possible ways to handle them.” Coulson admitted. “Also, I did some refresher Googling this morning.”

“This morning?” Jeff raised his eyebrow, the effect a bit lost with his reddened face and damp eyelashes.

“Daisy told me what happened earlier today,” Coulson replied carefully, slowly standing up, and Jeff nodded as that made sense. His shoulders were still taut with tension, though, and while he looked exhausted, he also looked like he wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon.

“I had a nightmare.” Jeff sighed deeply. “I’m sorry about this. About…”

“Your struggle doesn't change who you are, Jeff. Doesn't change your character.” Coulson paused for a beat. “Doesn't change my love for you.”

Jeff didn’t move, though his shoulders did lose a bit of their tension. Coulson reached out and brushed his fingers through Jeff’s unruly hair, pushing it back, before leaning over and pressing a warm kiss against the man’s forehead. He didn’t want to push if Jeff just needed some space, so he asked softly,

“Do you want me to sit with you, or would you like to be alone?” He pulled his hand away from Jeff once he straightened again. Jeff looked up at him, now, meeting his eyes directly for the first time since Coulson came to check on him.

“Do you mind, just…staying?” Jeff asked hesitantly, and Coulson shook his head, moving toward the couch and sitting on the end, still doing his best not to crowd the man. Jeff didn’t speak any more, and Coulson tried to stay awake as long as he could, but eventually, at some point, he did end up dozing off.

 

 

When Coulson awoke in the morning, Jeff had shifted down the couch, sitting at the opposite end with his head tilted against the back cushion, and Coulson was stretched out with his feet atop Jeff’s lap. Jeff’s hands were curled loosely around Coulson’s ankles, as if he had fallen asleep holding on to him.

Jeff was snoring softly, and Coulson very carefully extricated himself to go relieve his bladder. When he came back into the room, Jeff was still snoring, so Coulson lay back down. This time he gingerly settled his head atop Jeff’s thigh, pressing his cheek into the warmth of the blanket and tucking his hands in against his chest.

Jeff stopped snoring and Coulson held his breath, hoping he hadn’t woken him up. After a moment Jeff slipped his hand between Coulson’s, and when he didn’t say anything, Coulson slowly relaxed. Jeff soon started breathing deeply again, and Coulson fell back asleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The things Coulson says and does for Mace during his panic attack were once something someone else did to help me. Of course there is no *one way* to help everyone, but I hope it gives you some encouragement should you experience a friend/loved one living with anxiety and are unsure of how to help or respond. Please know I'm only speaking from experience - I'm no doctor, so when in doubt I always advise first asking a professional for advice in assisting with mental health.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in which Daisy and Jeff sort-of-accidentally get high, and proceed to wax philosophical about Phil’s body. Something more light-hearted after the last chapter.

Daisy and Jeff sat at the island counter, Jeff facing the countertop and Daisy with her back to it, her elbows propped on the edge. He was staring at the table as if it held deep-seeded answers for him, and she was gazing into the distance thoughtfully.

“Those jeans are damn dangerous.” Jeff informed her, and she nodded.

“It’s basically pornography. He’s a walking porno in those jeans.” She agreed.

“Has no one told him?!” Jeff demanded, sounding half-anguished as he turned to face her.

“He has to know. There’s no way he can’t know.” Daisy looked at him seriously.

“He’s such an asshole.” Jeff whined, having to rearrange his own trousers to stifle his boner.

“Hung like that; he’s gotta be aware how every pair of pants fit him.” Daisy mused, and Jeff groaned as he closed his eyes.

“He was sitting in the office this morning during the briefing, knees all spread like he didn’t notice me looking. How can you  _not_  look? They’re practically painted onto him!” Jeff whined. “Those jeans are a... are a... threat to national security!”

“He should wear jeans more often.”

“I would die,” Jeff moaned.

“Death by sexual arousal - it’s not a bad way to go,”

“It was so hard to keep my hands off of him, Daisy!” Jeff continued to complain, and she grinned widely.

“That wasn’t the only thing that was hard, I bet.” She teased, then snorted at her own joke.

“If you had a dick, you’d have been stiff as a board,” Jeff grumbled, and she smirked.

“Thank God I don’t,”

“Thank God you don’t what?” Coulson wondered, stepping in from the hallway. Jeff whirled around on the bar stool and stared at him wide-eyed for a moment.

“Have a dick.” Daisy explained casually. Coulson’s eyebrows shot up high on his forehead. “You’ve got more than enough for me,” She grinned cheekily, then elbowed Jeff. “And him,”

Coulson was still wearing his undercover outfit; probably having just returned only moments ago, and Jeff knew that his staring was obvious. As he and Daisy had been previously discussing, it was difficult not to.

“What have we talked about concerning appropriate public conversation?” Coulson teased carefully, and Daisy pursed her lips at him.

“Psh, we’ve been in here for ages and no one’s come in yet,” She rolled her eyes, and Jeff elbowed her.

“See, Daisy?” He whispered loudly. “No imagination necessary.”

“You’re right about that.” Daisy nodded, giving Coulson a pondering look. He furrowed his brow at them. “Painted on, indeed.”

Coulson glanced down at himself, toward the both of them, and down at himself again. Then he realized directly where they were staring, and he flushed a little.

“Are you— have you been talking about my privates in the middle of the kitchen?!” Coulson hissed, glancing about the room although he knew that they were — thankfully — alone for the moment.

“No, you and your privates are over there by the hall.” Jeff responded, dead-pan, and then he and Daisy shared a look and started snickering together.

“What is wrong with you?” Coulson asked suspiciously, crossing toward the kitchen.

“We were having a very serious discussion about your dick, Phil.” She scolded. “You’re interrupting.”

“Excuse me?” Coulson spluttered, giving them an incredulous look.

“It’s an important topic!” Jeff replied, as if that answered everything. Coulson stared at him, and that’s when he noticed Daisy somewhat subtly trying to hide a Tupperware container behind her back on the counter.

“What— ” Coulson narrowed his eyes intently, and warned in a low tone of voice, “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Jeff protested immediately, his eyes almost comically wide as he tried to portray the picture of innocence. “We didn’t know, I swear! We didn’t know the brownies weren’t quite brownies!”

As Coulson neared them, he noticed how their pupils were dilated, eyes slightly glassy. As knowing suspicion dawned on him, he focused on breathing steadily for a moment.

“What do you mean,” He asked very carefully, “that the brownies are not quite brownies?”

Jeff looked sheepishly toward Daisy, who managed to look even more sheepish than he.

“Please tell me the two of you did _not bake pot brownies_  while I was gone,” Coulson begged, groaning as he pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. Daisy shifted next to Jeff, also doing her best impression of ‘innocent’.

“We didn’t make them! I found them!”

“Oh, that’s much better.” Coulson snarked.

“We didn’t know until we’d already each eaten one!” Jeff insisted, sliding off of the stool to grasp Coulson’s upper arm. “I promise!”

“You both,” Coulson gaped at them a little, “ate a _full_  brownie? Each?”

Daisy smirked, nodded, and then snorted with laughter.

Coulson realized Jeff was now squeezing his arm a little, and furrowed his brow at the man.

“Oh, Daisy, can we talk about his arms, next?” Jeff sighed hopefully, appreciatively running his palms up both of Coulson’s arms, elbow to shoulder.

“Ooo, yes, definitely.”

Coulson’s spine tingled beneath Jeff’s touch, but he still continued to frown at him.

“And that jaw?” Jeff added, cradling Coulson’s neck and brushing his thumbs firmly along Coulson’s jawline.

“Appropriate—public— ” Coulson started to protest, his eyes darting toward Daisy as she slid off of her stool and approached as well. She ran her finger against the curve of his ear and his eyes drifted closed for a brief moment as a spark of arousal travelled down his neck.

“Like a work of art,” Daisy nodded, “sculpted by... by...”

“Picasso?” Jeff wondered distractedly, and Daisy snorted and laughed at him.

“Picasso!” She repeated, leaning on Coulson’s shoulder now that she was laughing too hard to focus on the structure of his face.

Jeff pouted at her, which Coulson found unbearably cute.

“Perhaps you meant Michelangelo?” Coulson said dryly, and Jeff brightened and nodded emphatically.

“Yes! Exactly!” Jeff pushed at Daisy to get her to stop laughing at him, and then splayed his hands across Coulson’s chest. “Sexier than David,”

“Is David sexy? I thought he was gorgeous, or pretty, or something. But sexy?” Daisy wondered, one hand curling around Coulson’s nape, and the other gliding down his upper arm.

“Much more well-endowed, too,” Jeff continued, sliding both hands down Coulson’s torso until one hand wrapped around his hip and the other cupped his groin.

“Jeffrey Mace!” Coulson hissed, scolding, and glanced about the room again. Jeff squeezed him a bit in response, smiling to himself as he watched what he was doing and not paying attention to Coulson’s less-than-half-hearted protests.

“On both sides,” Daisy added, reaching down to curl her fingers around a butt cheek.

“Oh, hell,” Coulson groaned quietly, jumping a little. His cock twitched with interest against Jeff’s grip as arousal started to fog his mind a little.

“How did you even get these on?” Jeff wondered, his other hand shifting down over Coulson’s thigh muscle and holding firmly. His scraped his nails across the jeans over Coulson’s balls, the gesture causing Coulson’s hips to jump forward. His cock pressed a little more insistently against the seam of his pants, and Jeff licked his lips.

Daisy started humming a song, then, and it eventually led to the two getting distracted enough that Coulson could slip away from their wandering hands.

“You’re packed and you’re stacked, ‘specially in the back — brother, wanna thank your mother for a butt like that!” Daisy sang, making Jeff laugh.

“You’re a shotgun, bang! What’s up with that thang? I wanna know — how does it hang?” He sang as well, leaning his body back a bit as if to get a good look at Coulson.

“Straight up, wait up, hold up, Mr. Lover,” Daisy put her hand against Jeff’s chest to keep him from pressing himself against Coulson. “Like Prince said, you’re a sexy mutha—”

“Here I go, here I go, here I go again,” Jeff interrupted her, facing her now.

“You guys are singing that all out of order,” Coulson pointed out, straightening his rumpled shirt.

“Girl, what’s my weakness?” Jeff ignored him, and Daisy grinned widely and called out,

“Men!”

“Okay then — chillin’, chillin’, minding my business, yo I looked around and I couldn’t believe this,” Jeff was really getting into it, now, dancing a bit with Daisy. “I swear, I stared, you as my witness; this brother had it goin’ on with somethin’ kinda, _uh_ ,” When he grunted, he rolled his hips slowly in Coulson’s direction, winking at the man who was watching them both with partially-embarrassed amusement.

“Okay, seriously,” Coulson chuckled, “you two have got to stop singing that, before somebody walks in here.”

“Wicked, wicked,” Daisy sang, sliding her hands along Coulson’s waist briefly, “had to kick it,”

“Make me wanna shoop, shoop, shoop!” Jeff grinned widely, and Daisy snorted at him. They high-fived, anyway; proud of themselves for remembering as much of the song as they had, even if it had been out of order.

“Drink some water,” Coulson advised them with a raised eyebrow, ignoring the fondness in his chest from their antics. He didn’t want to encourage them. “Make sure you’re staying hydrated.” He grabbed the Tupperware of brownies. “I’m getting rid of these. When I come back, the two of you better not be in any of the public areas. I’d actually prefer it if you slept this off in the room...” He sighed to himself, shaking his head slowly. “It’s a miracle no one else has walked in on you, yet.”

“You could come join us, in the room,” Jeff suggested hopefully, perking up at the thought. Daisy nodded emphatically, and Phil immediately shook his head again.

“No way — I still need to debrief Agent May on the mission, especially since it seems our Director is indisposed at the moment,” Coulson gave Jeff a wry look, at which Jeff made an innocent expression. “We all know what will happen if I join you in our room right now.”

“I can still debrief you.” Jeff reasoned innocently, and Coulson rolled his eyes.

“That’s what I’m concerned about.”

“Lick him like a lollipop should be licked,” Daisy sang in a sotto voice, near Coulson’s ear but loud enough that Jeff could hear as well.

Jeff smirked and licked his lips, and Coulson felt his groin tightening again.

“Stop that,” Coulson chided, but he was smiling and laughing, so they smiled back and let him step back toward the hallway. Coulson schooled his expression enough to warn them, “I mean it. You two better be out of here in the next two minutes. And no more talking about my privates in public!”

Jeff and Daisy both saluted him, but stood still for a moment after he left them.

“He’s gonna come by the room to check on us.” Daisy informed Jeff knowingly, and Jeff nodded in agreement.

“I bet,” He grinned slowly, and faced her, “he would stay in the room if we were both naked.”

“He might,” Daisy nodded slowly. “You know what would really make him stay, though?”

“What?”

“If he walked in on us having sex.”

“Oh! You’re right!” Jeff’s eyes lit up. “We should do that.” Daisy quirked a smile at him, and then he briefly narrowed his eyes at her. “This isn’t just an excuse to have sex with me, is it?”

“Of course not!” Daisy scoffed. “Why would I make up an excuse?” She hesitated, and then narrowed her eyes as well. “You aren’t agreeing just so you can have sex with me, are you?”

“No!” He denied, his tone lilting slightly at the end. They stared at each other for a beat.

“I mean, you do wear jeans at least almost as well as Phil does,” Daisy reasoned slowly, eyeing Jeff’s trouser-clad legs and imagining him in a pair of Wranglers. “Not quite as good, but pretty good.”

“Oh, I agree, he’s the best,” Jeff nodded, really looking at Daisy intently now.

Neither of them said anything for another moment.

“I like it when you don’t wear pants at all.” Jeff offered, and she smirked.

“C’mon, we’ve got a trap to set for Phil,” She reminded, snagging his hand and holding him tight as she led the way somewhat hastily toward their room.

“Right. A trap for Phil,” Jeff mimicked distractedly, admiring her butt as he followed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone :-)


End file.
